Ben Hoy is just 37, but for the best part of the last two decades he admits he’s been a ‘dole bludger’.
The father-of-two, who is estranged from his children, has worked occasionally since he was in his late teens, usually doing the odd ‘cash job’ as a labourer.
But on Tuesday morning he joins a large queue outside a Centrelink office in northern Melbourne, keen to be ensure his $501 fortnightly ‘Newstart Allowance’ is not cut off.
Ben Hoy, 32, (pictured) told Daily Mail Australia he has been a ‘dole bludger’ for the last two decades
Inside he is greeted by police and government officials from Taskforce Integrity, leading the crackdown on welfare cheats across the country.
They’re specifically targeting Broadmeadows, Craigieburn and surrounding suburbs in the city’s north where area’s welfare bill soared from $22.9 million in 2012 to $50.4 million this year, and the number of welfare recipients doubled.
In just the past year, 709 people in Craigieburn have started receiving Youth Allowance or Newstart Allowance.
The number of welfare recipients in Melbourne’s north has doubled in five years, bringing the area’s bill to $50.4 million and prompting a crack down on ‘dole bludgers’ (pictured is mother-of-two Joanne Maher. It is not suggested she is a welfare cheat)
Government officials from Taskforce Integrity are specifically targeting Broadmeadows and Craigieburn, where a large group of people were seen on Tuesday queuing outside a Centrelink office (pictured)
But outside, after rejecting their offer of a pamphlet instructing how to report welfare cheats, Mr Hoy tells Daily Mail Australia about ‘knowing the loopholes’ to keep his welfare payment – despite him not actively looking for work.
‘Well put it this way, I’ve been on the dole since I was 17 and I know all the loopholes,’ he said of his 20 years on welfare.
‘Every time they want me to work for the dole I change job agencies and it all starts again.
‘They don’t follow it up, they don’t do nothing.’
In just the past year, 709 people in Craigieburn have started receiving Youth Allowance or Newstart Allowance
Hoy (pictured) said he has repeatedly used loopholes in the system to get his $501 fortnightly cheque
After working full-time for most of her life, Bernadette Townsend (pictured) was made redundant last year
Pictured is the Craigieburn Plaza in the City of Hume
Mr Hoy’s story is seemingly a common one within the area, which has always battled but in recent years has done it particularly tough.
In October last year the Broadmeadows production factory for car giant Ford shut its doors after more than 57 years. At its peak it employed thousands of locals.
But despite the tough times facing the area, most of those who are receiving some of the $50 million being handed out in welfare payments are angry at those who rort the system.
After working full-time for most of her life, Bernadette Townsend was made redundant last year.
Battling health issues in the wake of her sacking, the 52-year-old is now trying desperately to get back into the work force and is angry at those who ride on the taxpayer’s coat tail.
‘I’ve worked all my life and I’ve just come from a position where I was a supervisor at a local company doing up to 20 hour days on-call and working weekends as well,’ Ms Townsend said.
‘It’s crazy the amount of people who are on the dole that shouldn’t be – it just infuriates me, especially when I’ve worked all my life without any support.
‘There’s a lot that’s been shut down around here, but I don’t know if that’s contributed to it.
‘A friend of mine had a child to a guy who’s 38 and never worked a day in his life, and here I am – someone’s who has always paid their taxes – getting $1000 a month.
‘I’m really struggling now, that money doesn’t even cover my mortgage and that’s why I’ve had to succumb to cashing in some of my super.’
Ms Maher (pictured) is also feeling the pinch and is worried the Taskforce Integrity crackdown will make it harder for her to access her welfare payment. There is no suggestion Ms Maher is cheating welfare
Government officials from Taskforce Integrity are seen talking with people entering the Centrelink office
Graffiti can be seen on a decaying fence near Craigieburn Plaza
Mother-of-two Joanne Maher is also feeling the pinch and is worried the Taskforce Integrity crackdown will make it harder for her to access her welfare payment.
‘I part-time work so we can get by alright, but when the bills come it does stress you out and they (Centrelink) just don’t want to help you,’ she said.
‘I’ve just been cut of my family tax payment because they couldn’t wait until we put in our tax and there’s others out there who get paid without deserving it.
‘I’ve got two kids who are both at school and it affects me because I can’t give them what they want.’
Pensioner and father-of-eight Brian Flinn (pictured) says he has worked hard all his life to support his family and told Daily Mail Australia it was about time welfare cheats were caught
Pensioner and father-of-eight Brian Flinn says he has worked hard all his life to support his family and told Daily Mail Australia it was about time welfare cheats were caught.
‘Absolutely it’s a good thing that they’re cracking down,’ Mr Flinn said.
‘There’s no doubt in my mind that there’s people that cheat the system and I think it’s just because it’s easy, it’s too easy.
‘I’m 68 and I’m still working, I’ve been working for 50 years, sometimes two and three jobs, I’ve brought up eight kids, I’ve paid my taxes and at the end of it I get a $30 pension.
‘I suppose my bias is that I’ve always done whatever I’ve had to do to get by… and I think most people should do the same, and I know a lot don’t.
‘But in saying that if you can’t get a job the system’s there for a reason, we’re a rich country and we should be able to look after you – but I’ve got no time for cheats.’
Pictured is part of the Ford Factory that is closing down in the City of Hume
The taskforce, consisting of AFP officers and government agencies, aims to identify any instances of intentional fraud.
Human Services Minister Alan Tudge told the Herald Sun that preserving the integrity of the welfare system was crucial to maintaining ‘a strong social safety net’.
‘While the vast majority of people do the right thing, the unfortunate reality is that some people deliberately defraud the system, while others inadvertently fail to update their records,’ Mr Tudge said.
During the past year alone, another 709 people in Craigieburn have started receiving either the Newstart unemployment benefit of the Youth Allowance, costing more than $2 million to the taxpayer.
There is no suggestion that any of the people in this article are welfare cheats.