A peak welfare group has slammed the federal government's attempt to roll out a controversial aspect of the Northern Territory intervention to the rest of the nation.
Welfare quarantining was the cornerstone of the Howard government's 2007 intervention, designed to tackle child abuse in remote indigenous communities.
Labor now wants to extend income management to all disadvantaged areas of the NT and, eventually, Australia.
However, people will be able to apply for exemptions if they can prove they're capable of managing their own affairs.
Chief executive of the Australian Council of Social Service Clare Martin, also the former chief minister of the NT, said that was a heavy-handed, unfair approach.
"What we would support is a much (more) targeted approach where you identify people who are at risk and put the effort there," she told Network Ten on Sunday.
Ms Martin said rolling out income management across the NT would cost $4400 a head when it kicks in come July, compared with the $500 it costs annually to help get someone a job.
"Why spend all that money? To me it is a waste," she said.
"Let's use those funds if they are available to really assist those Australians who are in need."
Ms Martin encouraged the government to work with people individually first, instead of subjecting thousands of welfare recipients to income management indiscriminately.
She said the unemployed were already struggling to manage their $230 a week benefit without Labor coming in and telling them what to do with it.
"Just managing on that, I think you deserve an award for managing on that," Ms Martin said.
"You don't need to have government come in on top and manage what you are going to do with the funds you've got."
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