Social Services Minister Christian Porter insists the government's drug testing trials are about getting people into work not penalising or stigmatising them.
Announcing Mandurah, Western Australia as the third drug testing site on Sunday, Mr Porter said the trials would start at the beginning of next year and will be focused entirely on helping job seekers overcome drug problems and on the path towards securing a job.
He said Mandurah was chosen because illicit drug use in this region is considerably higher than the national and Western Australian averages.
"It is not about penalising or stigmatising people ... we want to help people in this situation," Mr Porter said.
'Cycle of welfare dependency'
"Failure to do so simply leaves people at risk of a cycle of welfare dependency."
Local Liberal MP for Canning Andrew Hastie joined Mr Porter at a media conference, saying he was pleased to see Mandurah chosen as a trial site, alongside western Sydney and Logan, Queensland,
"Our community has really struggled with the impact of drugs and this initiative is a practical step to help address that," Mr Hastie said.
But Greens Leader Richard Di Natale said this was more about kicking people off income support than off drugs.
"All this does is make a bad problem worse," Senator Di Natale told reporters in Melbourne.
"As a drug and alcohol doctor I can tell you that many of my patients would have been driven further into drug use, into crime, some of them might even be dead if this policy was in place."
Earlier Human Services Minister Alan Tudge dismissed criticism suggesting people will be psychologically damaged if they are forced into testing, given that any driver could be drug tested at any time.
He said people on unemployment benefits who had a drug problem were effectively excluding themselves from many jobs where being drug-free is a requirement - such as the construction, transportation, aviation and mining industries, as well as the defence forces and emergency services.
"We want people to be drug-free so they have got the best opportunity in the world to take those jobs just as any other job," he said.
Up to 5000 new recipients of Newstart Allowance and Youth Allowance will be drug tested during the two-year trial.
Those who return a positive test will have 80 per cent of their benefit payment put onto a Basics Card which limits the amount people can withdraw as cash, with remaining funds reserved for essentials such as rent, child care, food and household needs.
After a second positive test, the person will have to see a doctor at the government's expense and undergo any treatment proposed in order to continue receiving benefits.
Logan City Mayor Luke Smith reacted angrily when his region was selected, saying he feared the trial would stigmatise the city.
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