I AGREE with B. Scott-Young and Patricia Ryan.
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Sometime ago while in my 20s (I am now 80) I was fortunate to be working in a government job, a camping party of about 40 men running coaxial cable into the ground between Albury and Melbourne.
While in the Kilmore area, a young man in his 20s came looking for a job.
After filling out the required application he was granted a job and placed in my care as I was a foreman at the time.
He was a wonderful worker, and had I been in business, I would have employed him myself.
His application questionnaire was as follows: are you married? (no); do you have children? (yes); do you have a driver’s licence (yes); have you had any convictions (no).
Three months later this young man had the world by the tail; he was paying his rent, kids were at school, no more debts, a full pay packet each two weeks, overtime, camp away allowance, allowance for driving a truck.
One Monday morning he was called to the office and informed he was sacked.
Wanting to know why, he was informed that he had a conviction for drink-driving.
The young man explained that was when he was 17 and he had not drank alcohol since, and thought the matter had been dropped.
It was explained to him it was not because he had a conviction, but because he told a lie on his application form. A lousy lie.
This lad was an asset to his job but returned to government hand-outs. And he wasn’t trying to run the country.
— KEN BROWN,
Barooga