Politics

Coalition cracks down on dole bludgers who ‘don’t want to work’

Aug 03, 2018

The government have cracked down on dole bludgers. Source: Getty.

Jobseekers who deliberately avoid having to work by applying for positions that are way out of their league will now have to prove they are seeking suitable employment, as part of a government crackdown on dole bludgers.

The Turnbull government redrafted legislation in July to tighten loopholes which saw Newstart recipients applying for unsuitable jobs in order to meet the required dole criteria, despite knowing they were grossly under-qualified for the roles.

However new guidelines mean that jobseekers who exploit the system could have their welfare payments revoked if they are not considered to be applying for reasonable jobs, as Centrelink will assess the quality of job applications rather than quantity.

A report published by the Courier Mail on Friday revealed the issue, with a number of MPs telling the newspaper that the broken system is to blame, saying people “don’t want to work”.

Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch said: “Employers are saying it happens all the time. They (job applicants) come in wearing bloody thongs and a T-shirt and present themselves in a way that you couldn’t give them a job. They don’t want to work, they’ve just got to tick a box.”

Jobs Minister Michaelia Cash told the newspaper that the Government believe people who could work should work.

“The Turnbull Government recognises that the overwhelming majority of job seekers are doing the right thing and looking for employment,’’ she said.“(We) strongly believe that working-age Australians who are capable of working should not be subsidised by the Australian taxpayer when they persistently fail to look for a job.”

Last month the Department of Social Services revealed a total of 765,424 Aussies have been in receipt of welfare payments for at least five consecutive years.

The figures also showed that the total number of Aussies claiming benefits has risen by more than 120,000 over the past five years, as the number of people claiming cash handouts long-term was just 644,028 in 2013.

These payments include Newstart, Youth Allowance and the Disability Support Pension, and more than half of all welfare recipients who have been in receipt of payments for the past decade started when they were aged in their 20s and 30s.