by REBECCA DOUGLAS
It’s not something you admit in polite company, at a dinner party, on first meeting someone, or at any other time for that matter. They look at you in a whole new light, and it’s not a flattering one.
I lived in public housing. For 20 years. On welfare.
In several ways, my family fit the stereotype: single mum, alcoholic father, both with a history of unemployment and unskilled jobs and a fondness for wearing trackie dacks in public.
In many ways, we didn’t: Mum had me when she was 35 (so very much not a teen pregnancy), Dad was dux of every school class he was ever in and we all manage to speak without a single “ain’t”, “youse” or “could of” amongst the lot of us.
As for me, I was known as a straight-A student who never drank, took drugs or sneezed in the wrong direction. From early on, Dad had emphasised the importance of listening to my teachers and getting good grades so one day I could land a good job and earn decent money. And when my dad talks, people listen — from the sheer decibel level alone.
But no matter how hard you try or how hard you work, you’re still just a “dole bludger” in the eyes of many, even if you’re a kid who’s had little choice in the matter. This sank in during Year 12, when a journalist interviewed my mum about a new government policy affecting public housing tenants. The photo in the newspaper might as well have lit our house up in neon lights. The anonymous calls came thick and fast for weeks afterward. I’d answer our phone to be yelled at, sworn at and told I was worthless, leeching off the government, was the scum of the earth and, of course, a dole bludger.
Top Comments
People don't mind supporting the genuinely needy? Problem is they assume because they watch a couple of stories on a current affair that everyone is rorting. Of course it's complete crap. I've seen people on Newstart put in more effort at work for the dole than with some people I've been employed with.
I'm on a centrelink benefit and I hide it well. Live in a priveleged part of sydney in public housing and tell everyone that I'm on income protection while upskilling and getting through cancer (both true). The income protection is a lie. I use free internet at local libraries, scout around for the cheapest fruit and vegetables in sydney (ashfield is exceptional), tell people I don't like tea or coffee, hence only drink water when at cafes with friends, buy most of my clothes 2nd hand and go all over sydney to get myself some good threads. I don't use the gym (who needs the ongoing cost?) instead walking with my MP3 player. I have a landline that people call me on and a $18 a month mobile phone plan. I only eat out with friends and that's at best once a fortnight and I eat at home before I get there so my bill is small.
Australians are judgmental arseholes. In an effort to feel good about themselves they find others to put down. How many suckers out there are pushing crap uphill to make their bosses mega rich. Fools if you ask me. Well that isn't for this one. I'm not lying on my death bed saying how grateful I was for my old age pension when for 40+ years of my life I made other people wealthy.
A friend of mine just lost their job in mining after 25 years in the industry and paying 30K a year in tax for all those years. Now stuck doing work for the dole. It's a fucking outrage. And where is Gina Rinehart? Most probably at home counting up all the gold bullions while she sits her fat lard on the lounge thats soon to collapse beneath her. Of course she is deserving isn't she? Since daddy left it all to her. And my friend along with how many thousands along with her? You begrudge a government benefit. I'm 5th generation australian. Ever so ashamed to be so. Not only because of what is pointed out in this article, but because of how we abuse asylum seekers.