MavEtJu's Distorted View of the World

"457 bludger wants taxpayers to pay"

Posted on 2008-03-07 19:00:09, modified on 2008-03-07 19:00:00
Tags: Politics

This evening I was walking through Cronulla with Hanorah in a sling while passing the restaurant Sombreros. It's a Mexican food restaurant and they have great sangria.

Only, today there was a huge group of people outside with flags and handing out leaflets. The story goes that one of the workers in the restaurant was sacked because he had to undergo cancer treatment. Oh, and he was on a 457 Business Workers visa.

Such a visa is for employers (i.e. the restaurant) to bring employees (i.e. the worker) into the country (i.e. Australia). It's not cheap and not a choice you make easily. So why did they decide to sack him so easily once he wasn't available? Questions questions questions, but no answers.

Anyway, on the way back I walked past them again and there was a woman standing in front of them with a sign saying "457 bludger wants taxpayers to pay". "457" refers to the visa, "bludger" to a lazy person, "taxpayers" to everbody who pays taxes and "to pay" probably relating to the medical treatment. Fair enough, Australia has a kind of socialistic medical system which gives everybody who is legally in the country access to it.

I exchanged some words with her and she said it wasn't her sign, it was made by the people inside the restaurant. So I asked her if she agreed with it, because if she didn't she shouldn't hold it up. She said that the people inside the restaurant made her do it. So I asked her again if she agreed with it, and I told her that if I was asked to hold up a sign I didn't agree with, that I wouldn't do it. My own pride above that of my employer.

So she started a tyrade about how her tax-money would be used for this. I said that I paid taxes too. She packed her sign and went inside. And I went on with my walk, knowing that she wouldn't change her mind, but at least she was off the street.

From the people protesting outside I heard that she was the owner of the place...

Too bad of the sangria, but the Mexican restaurant El Sol Tortillaria on the Kingsway is now my restaurant of choice for Mexican food in Cronulla.

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