WHAT ABOUT ME?

I guess it was inevitable, given human nature, for those who missed out on Santa Claus Kev’s Christmas treats to start whingeing ‘What About Me?’
Although most highly-taxed, non-deductible, single workers are used to always missing out –whether it be a Liberal or Labor Government holding the purse strings.

But one selfish, self-centred jerk irked me today. He’s a 26-year-old Adelaide roof restorer. Currently unemployed. He is referred to in a sob story in The Australian newspaper as ‘a member of Kevin Rudd’s forgotten brigade’.

He’s single, childless and the story says ‘will get nothing from the federal Government’s massive economic stimulus package’.

His name is Aaron Neiswander. He says ‘It’s disappointing we’ve been left out. It’s tough for me’. He gets $350 a fortnight unemployment allowance and says ‘just a little bit of a cash injection would be right. Just $50 to $100 a week or more would be good…’

Have a closer look at this guy and you’ll say ‘quit ya bitchin’. He quit his job in January. He said he was burnt out after working seven days a week for three years and needed a break.  Seven days a week? Must have earned some money. What did he do with it? Piss it up against the wall?

Neiswander now says he’s struggling to find work and picks up odd roofing jobs once or twice a month. He’s moved back in with his parents and pays them $120 a week board. I’ll agree that doesn’t leave him much. But he had a job and he quit.

And what angered me, if the story is accurate, is how he now spends his time. ‘Working on his rusty Datsun, hanging out with his friends, or just chilling.’  No mention of getting off his butt and actually looking for work as you are meant to do when the taxpayer is paying you those 350 bucks a fortnight.

But at least the friends he is ‘chilling out’ with aren’t members of the so-called ‘forgotten brigade’. His friends, Mandy Harton and Kelly Gibson, are also out of work but they both have children. So they’ll get the $1000 child bonus.

Maybe he could marry one of them and then they’ll also get $21,000 and they could buy a house. Only joking. But when it comes to ‘what about me’ anything’s possible.

© Copyright Derryn Hinch 2008