{"href":"http://player.captivate.fm/services/oembed?url=http%3A%2F%2Fplayer.captivate.fm%2Fepisode%2Fc4873bac-8224-4223-91c2-dfa40ee3af1a","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Captivate.FM","provider_url":"https://www.captivate.fm","width":600,"height":200,"type":"rich","html":"","title":"Episode 219 \u2013 Cashless Cards, Tamils, Penises and Brexit","description":"
\nNo other podcast would attempt to explain cashless cards, Tamil refugee status, offensive penises and the history of Brexit going back to 6500 BC.
\n1:40 Deep Throat
\nWilliam Mark Felt Sr. (August 17, 1913 \u2013 December 18, 2008) was an American law enforcement officer who worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 1942 to 1973 and was known for his role in the Watergate scandal. Felt was an FBI special agent who eventually rose to the position of Associate Director, the Bureau’s second-highest-ranking post.
\nIn 2005, at age 91, Felt revealed that during his tenure as associate director of the FBI he had been the notorious anonymous source known as “Deep Throat” who had provided The Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein with critical information about the Watergate scandal that had ultimately led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon in 1974. Though Felt’s identity as Deep Throat was suspected, including by Nixon himself, it generally remained a secret for 30 years. Felt finally acknowledged that he was Deep Throat after being persuaded by his daughter to reveal his identity before his death
\n3:14 Compassionate Conservatism
\nOxymoron: a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction
\nFrom The Guardian
\nWhat\u2019s the proposal?
\nThe drug-testing trial would take place in Logan (Queensland), Canterbury-Bankstown (New South Wales) and Mandurah (Western Australia). New welfare recipients would be selected for testing at random. Don\u2019t offend the public servant in charge of your case.
\nBad luck if you own an investment property in Logan
\nThose who fail a test would have 80% of their welfare benefits quarantined for two years using the controversial\u00a0cashless debit card. If a person fails a second test in 25 working days, they would be referred to a medical professional for treatment.
\n
\nThe government has scrapped a previous measure that would force those who failed a second test to\u00a0pay a portion of the costs. How kind.
\nPeople will be tested for ice (methamphetamine), ecstasy (MDMA), marijuana, cocaine and heroin. The government has also promised $10m to bolster rehab services.
\nInternal documents\u00a0suggest the trial will cost $5.6m\u00a0and the Australian Council of Social Service (Acoss) says the testing is likely to cost between $500-$900 per person per test.
\nSo we can\u2019t increase Newstart but we can find $5.6m.
\nHas it been tried before?
\nIn New Zealand, about 40,000 welfare recipients undergo drug tests each year.
\nThe tests are only for those referred by the NZ government\u2019s equivalent of Centrelink to employers who request a mandatory drug test for job applicants. If a person fails the test, they can be forced to pay the cost of the test and later have their welfare payments cut.
\nThe policy was introduced in 2013 by the National government, which cited statistics suggesting between\u00a010% and 20% of people on welfare benefits used drugs.
\nBut data from NZ\u2019s Ministry of Social Development shows that of the 47,115 people who were\u00a0