Australia's biggest 'dole bludger towns’ named
Caboolture in Queensland has been named the number one in a list of Australia’s top ten dole bludger hotspots.
In a News Corp report, the town north of Brisbane ranked top with 387 dole bludgers failing to turn up to five or more jobseekers appointments.
Sydney’s Blacktown came in second on the federal government report, and half of the towns listed on the top ten list were located in Victoria.
Top ten list
- Caboolture, Queensland
- Blacktown, New South Wales
- Mildura, Victoria
- Frankston, Victoria
- Deception Bay, Queensland
- Werribee, Victoria
- St Albans, Victoria
- Dubbo, New South Wales
- Auburn, New South Wales
- Dandenong, Victoria
According to the report nearly 50,000 people in Australia that are capable of working did not attend job interviews in the past year, but are still not being punished.
Human Services Minister Alan Tudge said the federal government is “cracking down” on people who are deliberately flouting the system.
'There are hotspots around Australia where some people are consistently failing to turn up to job interviews,' Mr Tudge told the Today Show.
'They have been getting away with that and we are determined to change that system.'
In a new move from the government, a driver’s license-style demerit system will be put in place to punish welfare recipients who fail to attend job interviews and work for the dole appointments.
'Welfare is supposed to be a safety net, not a destination and for too many people it has become a destination,’ concluded Mr Tudge.
This article first published on New Idea.
