Sydney radio host Ben Fordham calls on job summit to solve Centrelink crisis

Ben Fordham has let rip on the thousands of Centrelink recipients who choose to stay unemployed while the nation struggles to fill staff shortages.

Sydney radio host Ben Fordham has unleashed on “lazy” welfare recipients who are choosing not to work despite 480,00 job openings and a desperate call for more overseas workers.

“There are many people receiving these payment who genuinely want to work, they want nothing more than a job,” Fordham told his 2GB listeners on Friday morning.

“They’re either too lazy or we’ve made it too easy for them to stay at home

“But there are other people who are capable of working, they say they are looking for work, they reckon they can’t find any.”

2GB radio host Ben Fordham calls on the government to solve the welfare crisis. Picture: 2GB

One in every 26 Australians is receiving a welfare payment of some kind – this includes pensioners, people with disabilities and veterans.

Of those, 892,000 people are receiving unemployment benefits such as JobSeeker and Youth Allowance.

At the same time, there are reportedly 480,000 jobs available across the country.

“Right now businesses are screaming out for workers … bosses can’t fill positions and we are having to fly out overseas workers over by the plane load,” Fordham said.

There are almost 900k Australians receiving unemployment benefits. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Adam Yip

Fordham said 80 per cent of welfare recipients were considered long-term unemployed and the average time out of work was five years.

“Some of them sadly have grown up in an environment where this is normal,” he said.

JobSeeker and Youth Allowance Centrelink payments cost the government up to $30bn a year – accounting for 15 per cent of the nation’s total welfare bill.

Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth will host one of the job summit sessions. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

It comes as thousands of flood-hit Australians who were able to pause their Centrelink debt obligations will soon have to start their repayments.

People in areas impacted by later floods, including those across Australia’s east in May and June, will need to begin their repayments as soon as October 1.

Services Australia has moved to reassure people they don’t need to repay their debt “all at once”.

“Most people set up a payment arrangement and repay it over time,” it said.

Originally published as Sydney radio host Ben Fordham calls on job summit to solve Centrelink crisis