Income Management and Intersectionality: Analysing Compulsory Income Management through the lenses of Critical Race Theory and Critical Disability Studies

This article investigates the relationship between racism, ableism and classism in
the context of compulsory income management, with a focus on difficulties
encountered by people experiencing these intersections. We analyse governmentcommissioned evaluation reports of income management in the Northern
Territory, using Critical Race Theory and Disability Studies as analytical tools.
Experiences of social security recipients falling within the ‘vulnerable’ income
management stream who participated in the evaluation indicate that Indigenous
people with a disability are at greater risk of social exclusion due to the negative
impacts of compulsory income management law. We argue that diminished
financial autonomy caused by the ‘vulnerable’ income management measure has
produced significant harm for some recipients, undermining their capacity to
secure basic needs. We also consider human rights compatibility problems with
‘vulnerable’ income management, drawing upon international human rights
principles, and conclude that it produces indirect race and disability
discrimination.