I find it a bit weird that all you people see the dole as such a wonderful carefree lifestyle. If its so great being unemployed why dont you all do the rational thing and quit work? If you really believed that those on the dole were living it up the way you say then you would all be lining up at centrelink to join the free and hedonistic culture of extreme poverty. NOT

This is the REAL "politics of envy" and that abbot bloke is a master at it. Look at their record of stigmatising, demonising and outright defaming of single mothers (while passing them 5k backhanders), the disabled, pensioners, young people, immigrants. All reprehensible attacks on the weakest and most vulnerable in society by the most well off and pampered, powerful elitists.
As are some of the posts here. Shame on you all for picking on those least able to defend themselves. Talk about spiteful, empathyless bullying.

Think about it for one second and ask yourself how you will feel when there is an army of desperate under 30s willing to undercut your wages and put YOU into the ranks of the unemployed. Why would your boss not either take one of these younger, cheaper people over you or reduce your wages to match what the desperate former dole bludgers were willing to work for? Are you that confident in your boss? Are you that valued at work? Are you that indispensable? Good luck. Today its take the stick to the unemployed how long before they turn their "stick of incentive" back on you the workers like they did with "serfchoices"?

The only incentive workers needed in the last mining boom were good wages and conditions. Something else abbot and his ilk are against.

SOL>>The housing prices and rents in those towns are astronomical!
There aren't many people able to afford to live on the dole in those mining towns, believe me!

That's now, but many towns in the western downs were 'ghost towns' a few years ago. Tara, west of Dalby is one that comes to mind.

It was famous for housing 'blockies'.

To answer your question I live on the northside of Brisbane.
MIKK>>>The only incentive workers needed in the last mining boom were good wages and conditions. Something else abbot and his ilk are against.

What a load! Mining companies and their workers enjoyed a great working partnership with EBA's, only, Krudd and his 'red mastif' took to those with the axe.

In fact, comentators have cited 'workable employment arrangements' as a 'key requirement' for us to take full advantage of he forthcomming boom.

Thanks mikk. I'm frequently taken aback by comments here that verge on the pathologically misanthropic.

Why do so many people at OLO feel the need to bash those less fortunate than themselves?

mikk: You said it so well.

good work.

pynch

I know quite a few people working in the north of Western Australia - but none of them live there. They work on a fly-in fly-out basis and live in Perth or the south-west where rental costs are reasonable and rental properties are available.
Towns in the north-west, for example, do not have anywhere near the sort of infrastructure required to support an influx of extra workers. Rental properties are scarce and rental prices are at a premium. It would take a long time and a lot of investment to provide appropriate infrastructure. It is certainly not something that could be decided as policy and then followed up in any short space of time. I suspect Mr Abbott is up to his old trick of grabbing the headlines and testing the waters.
I too wonder at the puritanical vehemence of some people in their denigration of certain members of society - live and let live I say.

Mikk, pynchme wt al, i've gone over the thread and I can''t see what you're referring to. Perhaps you could point out some examples of what you're referring to?
The whle thrust of the responses to rehctub's post has been that it is both unworkable and likely to end up causing further entrenched disadvantage.

Is it merely the fact that i pointed out the gendered nature of the issue that's got up your nose?