Entertaining read Eljay :) It's an 11 years old account from the...

  1. 12,085 Posts.
    Entertaining read Eljay

    It's an 11 years old account from the author.

    After 24 years I was unfortunate to spend 11 months on the dole. My share trading was testing my bank balance and an enquiry showed I qualified for NewStart.

    It was absolutely NOTHING like that account. Basically...spit out 10 (if you can be bothered) 'applications' a fortnight. Attend a Job Seeker Provider once a fortnight and sit at a computer 'looking' for work. This was after being allowed to do jack...no contact with anyone from any department for 3 months...due to being educated I was a low priority risk...so to say.
    Centrelink is purely the banker. If the JSP is happy then your pay goes in. And it ain't hard to keep them happy. The mistake the author of the article did was take the system seriously. The system is only enforcing the Social Security Act. The people who work at Centrelink were nice people doing the best they could. Without being overly critical...their clients are their own worst enemy. The dole is a privilege and not a right. Spend some time in a CL waiting foyer and you'll shake your head. The crux of the matter is that bludgers have too many rights. They get paid if they default...payment is still made whilst they 'make' them comply. Axe it off pronto and you'll get a swifter response..imo.

    However...I strongly agree with the author. It's an experience no one can imagine until you become part of the system...and if you want...you can stay in the system forever...not that that's a healthy thing if you're serious about wanting a job. I guess a portion don't but everyone gets tainted with the same brush.
 
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