Paul1405,
> 'Pig Iron' Bob Menzies, founder of the Liberal Party believed an unemployment level of 10% was "desirable", as it would keep a lid on "worker demands"

Are you sure about that? 'Twas before my time, but I was under the impression that the unemployment level was very low in the Menzies era.

Unemployment was low during the Menzies era, Aidan. It is bullshite to suggest otherwise; but, that's you lefty mates for you. If they can't find something genuine to disparage conservatives, they will invent something.

Ok, let's take this as a hypo scenario.

A rental in cheaper area, say my area, Caboolture.

A modest four bed room house for say $400/wk.

Put six in that house all on the dole, that's a combined income of around $1250 per week, take away the rent, power say $430 and that leaves quite a nice chunk for other things. This is why many have the likes of play stations and Foxtel, because they have both the time and the money, and let's face it, if you don't go to bed until the early hours of the morning, then surface around 9ish, this makes it harder to find a job and therefore protects your way of life. After all, I doubt job seeking has any real time restraints.

Now of cause some will say that's being a bigot, well, pull your heads out of the sand and take a look around is all I can say as people like these are the highest per hour earners we have.

The reality is we are running out of funding and unless we take serious action, and fast, we will be left with no alternative other than to slash more funding from the likes of hospitals and aged care to name just two. While i'm the first to admit that welfare quarantining will hurt some innocent people,but it shouldn't be for long, because genuine unemployed 'job seekers' will find work. Ok, it may not be the dream job, but it will be a job. It's the old saying, it's the fight in the dog that counts, not the dog in the fight.

There are so many incentives for employers now to hire unemployed that there are very few excuses for not finding work, other than poor motivation or unwillingness to put ones self out to find work.

Tens of thousands getting a free ride?
Is that a statistical fact or just an opinion, like the supposed hordes of young single mothers on benefits when it turns out most are deserted wives with recalcitrant fathers not meeting their obligations?

As for those cards, when do we extend them to aged pensions?
I see pensioners outside the clubs on pension days waiting to play the pokies and lined up at the Newsagents for their weekly gambling binge. It's our money too isn't it, or is it intended to stick it only to specific groups in receipt of welfare?

It also turns out that in those areas where such cards have been trialled, there is an increase in break-and-enter crimes and violent assaults but it must be worth it politically and to satisfy a certain part of the electorate, despite the human cost.

The fact that the taxpayer pays the card provider a $10,000 fee to distribute and administer each card is neither here nor there. That's almost as much as Newstart for an entire year so it will take a while for any real benefits to appear.

It's also easy to get around the card restrictions. I can hand somebody with a card my $50 grocery shopping list outside Woolies and pay them $40 cash for them at the checkout.

As for moving people to settle in rural areas to solve problems, they tried something like that decades ago when they thought Sydney was filling up.
They urged people to buy and settle in areas like Campbelltown on the assurance that industry and business would follow them there.
They didn't - and the towns became a dumping ground for welfare recipients with a reputation that is hard to shake off.

This is an example of the uniquely Australian trait called "The Tall Poppy Syndrome" but it really works in both directions. The simple truth is that some hate to see others getting something they can't get themselves, regardless of circumstances and will generalise to the extent they include everybody in a particular target group.

rache,
I know where you're coming from but where I am heading is to change this dreadful system.
If we just keep saying things are no good yet simply just accept as they are then where we are is as far as we get, hence the desperate need to change.
95% of people will go for whatever they can get, no matter how it impacts on others. It's the 5% who are constantly doing battle to prevent the 95% from exploiting every loophole. The change I'm on about is about closing loopholes & making opportunities available that enable people to not only receive but also give. Moreso, people need to become way more responsible & that is not achievable with the present system.
Work on putting forward ideas not keep on telling how it is. I'd like to see people work on changing the how it is.

There it is again - 95% vs 5%.
Where does that come from?
When people make guesses it's usually 80% vs 20%.

Whenever they have a big purge on bogus Centrelink applications, the results are invariably much less than people and the media expect.

I certainly agree there are problems with the current system but blaming and demonising the victim is never a solution.

Nor are punitive measures, politically attractive as they seem.
Work for the Dole was popular but a $648 million flop in all respects.
It was more a vote-buying exercise than a solution to unemployment.
Likewise, dumping the CES in favor of profit-driven private companies and the ineffective Centrelink model was probably a bad move.

To fix things, they could start by making sure companies pay their fair taxes and proper wages because if anynone is getting a "free ride", it's many of them.