Thousands of Australian welfare recipients will be forced onto the cashless Centrelink debit card under a huge expansion of the scheme in the federal Budget.
Immigrants will also be barred from accessing most kinds of welfare for four years after they are granted residency in Australia.
The cashless Centrelink cards cannot be used to buy items like alcohol, gambling and cigarettes, but only on necessities like groceries.
The cards have been trialled since 2016 in East Kimberley and Goldfields in Western Australia, Ceduna in South Australia, and the Bundaberg-Hervey Bay region of Queensland.
Under the controversial scheme, 80 per cent of welfare recipients Centrelink payment goes directly onto the card rather than into their bank account, preventing it being wasted on unnecessary spending.