You'd love it in London anti. They have public housing in prime real estate locations. What happens is the recipients rent them out to someone else at a premium and use some of the money to live somewhere cheaper while pocketing the rest.

I've lived a charmed life and I've only recently had to deal with the governmnet to get the baby bonus (With which I bought a wonderful TV). Twice!

The way I look at these type of things is, well, I really don't care what others do. Taking away the people who are missing out (I'm happy to pay even more tax to ensure that doesn't happen), if people truly want to rort the system I'm happy to let them.

In my mind, they're not 'winning', and really I pity them. If someone doesn't have the pride to pay their own way, wants to constantly deal with governmnet bureaucracy (in itself a harder and more stressful job than mine), be living around social chaos in many respects and has no desire to improve their lot above the level of living week to week for a handout, well they can have that gear.

I don't feel the loss of the extra tax dollars. I feel the injustice for the really poor, but as I said I'd be happier to just pay more tax. In my view there are enough of us decent middle class worker bee people to keep things running and enough born with a silver spoon to be exploited out of some of that inheritance.

Pericles:"I'd hazard a guess that you're not planning to grow old in Queensland, Antiseptic.."

Surely you're not suggesting that Qld Health is capable of anything other than perfect rectitude in its dealings with its needy clients? Next thing you'll be suggesting that they're not to be trusted running their own computer systems and the like. Pure paranoia...

Oh, hold on. As you were...

Perhaps emigration to sunnier climes may be a good idea in a few years.

Houellebecq, I don't begrudge the tax either, really. It's hypocrisy that gets up my nose.

Im a pensioner and I live in a Housing Comission flat. In my block theres lots of single ladies with kids and thats good cause were all like one big happy family. EXCEPT when there ex's come round.

Dear Huggins,
Do any of you have a job or is this one of those low socio situations where you all sit around and complain happily because your ex's don't pay enough and you know he's getting cash on the side.
Maybe your ex's would like it if you would get off your back sides and do something so they don't have to work their gut's out supporting two house holds so you can live the "Days of our lives" dream.
Sorry, normally very tolerant but you said all the wrong things. Stop blaming your ex's for what is wrong with your lives. They are feeling just as hurt and used as you. Try being more understanding and compassionate to their position and you may find things are not so bad.

Antiseptic:

I came across this today. I thought you might enjoy it.

Interjector:

"Wotcha gonna do about 'ousing?"

Sir Robert Menzies:

"Put an "h" in front of it."

Antiseptic:
There is a saying I am familiar with; “Women are funny Cattle”. I am still friends with a girl who took to my boat wiring with a pair of scissors one night a few weeks ago over an imagined slight. But she makes far less than $80k PA and doesn’t live in a council flat, so there may be some secret to relationship stability in circumstances .

I sympathise with you though on the gall of your ex-wife and her total rorting of all things free and Government, and admit the difficulty of keeping a sense of humour in view of her obvious dishonesty, but we live in a very dishonest and dishonourable world where capitalist advantage outweighs moral principal, I need not remind you.

The reason for this post though was to add an observation from my own walk of life, given I am acquainted with some desperadoes of sorts have noticed a system for public housing offered by a NGO operation here in NSW called Anglie Care (or something close to that) which offers single males unit accommodation for a fixed period of time; I think three months. During this period they must actively attempt to rehouse themselves in the private market. It is probably classified as emergency housing.

Shouldn’t all public housing be subject to similar short term tenancy agreements and be simply a stepping stone to the private market. That rule change would make public housing available to vastly more of the population and add the appearance if not the fact of fairness