...This country is like a drunk; it must hit the “skids” and turn to Jesus before any benefits will flow to the working class.
100 thousand homeless and rising!

"As an ex Housing Commission tenant, I can absolutely assure you that the biggest factor in long term unemplyment by people who are perfectly healthy, is low intelligence."
-LEGO

And I can assure you that this is unmitigated crap - raw intelligence has sod all to do with one's employment prospects. There are dumbasses in Parliament and geniuses shovelling shyt. It doesn't matter how bright folks are, 'coz a high IQ is not typically what employers seek - they'd rather have somebody good looking, positively inclined, with a high emotional intelligence. The fact that they can still smile politely at customers whilst attempting the onerous task of adding two double-digit figures is regarded as a bonus; whereas the fact that they need to stop and think about simple arithmetic should be regarded as a severe mental disadvantage.

So, if you are a smart employer, remember that the shy, surly and clinically depressed are often much more capable employees than the friendly halfwits.

Dear Tristan

I don’t know exactly what “low economic demographic” you ever lived in, probably one where university students struggled to live within their daddy’s generous trust fund while they studied Artz in uni, and sat around in wine bars drinking chardonnay while they mused about the injustices of capitalism. Because it is obvious that your knowledge of the sort of healthy people who make up the bottom layer of our society, and who live permanently on public welfare, is as familiar to you as the dark side of the moon.

I already know that both Labor and Liberal support high immigration for different reasons of political self interest, but at least the Liberals make no pretence about being concerned about the interests of Australian working and genuine disadvantaged class Australians, exactly the sort of “Hansonites” that people like you despise. At least the Liberals had some success in preventing illegal immigrants in chartered boats from just lobbing into Australia in order to declare their undying allegiance to the Australian social security system.

And I don’t need “the mass media” to tell me that large numbers of dole bludgers exist, or that imported foreigners are looting the Australia social security system, the evidence before my own eyes is enough for me. The media is simply confirming what I already know to be a self evident fact. Which is why I get so astonished and amazed whenever a person such as your goodself comes along and tells me that black is somehow white.

Now, getting back to your beloved “carbon tax” which is just another Great Big Tax to support the ever increasing numbers of dole bludgers and illegal immigrants, you can forget it. It is the Australian working class and the genuine disadvantaged class who are hurting right now from steeply rising essential services prices, and they are not going to be overcome with happy passions at the thought of some dimwit, who refuses to even acknowledge what to them is self evident widespread welfare abuse, demanding that the government slap yet another tax on them to pay for it.

Grputland, you were warned. Now where's my fish!

Please do not take silence as people agreeing with you because they're not. You are being politely ignored.

I have been to your website some time back and have saved in in my favourites alongside 9-11 conspiracy, alien abduction, etc.

When the forum discusses matters such as loudspeaker enclosures, I look forward to your informed comments. Until then...

For the record, I am not and have never been a "9/11 truther" or an adherent of alien abduction stories.

Section 82 of the Constitution is not a conspiracy theory or a tall story. It's the law.

Not so long ago, there were many jobs available for those who had various physical or intellectual shortcomings or even those who simply wanted to work.

The decline of the Tea Lady era was the result if the desire for increased profits and the rise of rampant Corporatism where employees became disposable and replaceable units, just like their customers.

The new system works but eventually there are costs to be met and a permanent class of unemployed is probably one of them.