Battlers

When I was a child, there still existed the Australian icon, the battler. The battler worked hard for a wage, doing anything they could to avoid going on the “dole”, being a “bludger” and accepting a welfare hand out from the government. They weren’t always particularly well educated and maybe life hadn’t dealt them the best hand, but they had pride and they had hope and they knew that it was them and only them that could change their circumstances. The “battler” stood for pride and the indomitable Australian spirit.

Sadly, the word itself has been hijacked, by current affairs television and worse, by the bludgers themselves. Thanks to “Today Tonight”, “A Current Affair” and their ilk, every dole-bludging piece of white trash (to steal a term from the Yanks) in leggings or a flannel shirt thinks they get to call themselves battlers.

To be fair, I realise they can call themselves what they want, but it distresses me that only a generation ago, the true battler would be faintly embarrassed to be named so. Now it is bandied about like it is a Golden Ticket to Willie Wonka’s Welfare and Sympathy Factory.


For fuck’s sake, No, for your own sake, wake up to yourself, especially if you have kids. Maybe your life hasn’t been easy, maybe it wasn’t even your fault but let me tell you something. No one else is going to fix it. Very few of us even care, as harsh as that sounds. We’re all dealing with our own shit here and all you can realistically hope to get from us is our understanding and acceptance. If you want to better yourself financially, stop feeding your kids Happy Meals. Stop smoking, or smoke rollies. Stop drinking so much. (I am going to punch the next person that tells me that smoking and drinking are the only pleasures they have in life because they can’t afford anything else and the government is trying to tax it away from them). When you go grocery shopping, buy healthy food; it’s cheaper and better for you. Sure you may have to do a bit more work, like COOKING but if you’ve cut back your alcohol consumption, you should be sober enough to manage. One or two lifestyle changes can save you upwards of $100 a week. Who doesn’t want that! $5K a year in your hand! If not for yourself then think of your kids. Or mine. I don’t want them to have to share space with the next generation of no hopers dragging them down.


The Aussie Battler these days is more likely to have come from Kenya than Kalgoolie, disdained by the bludgers for “stealing their jobs”, when really, their work ethic and desire to better themselves under adverse conditions is one of the cornerstones of this country and part of the culture that we pay lip service to.