From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 10 May

To dob, or not to dob, that is the question when it comes to stealing from the Commonwealth; which is, in reality, stealing from every fellow Australian.

NOTHING flushes-out opportunistic crooks like the chance to get their trotters in the trough and to swell their coffers with stolen dosh. Abandoning their conscience (if indeed they have one), the temptation is too irresistible. Like rats trailing the Pied Piper of Hamelin, crooks come in all shapes and sizes (with apologies to Robert Browning): great crooks, small crooks, lean crooks, brawny crooks; grave old plodders, gay young friskers; fathers, mothers, uncles, cousins; brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, they will do whatever it takes to get their hands on any available moolah, regardless. They argue, defensively, “It’s better in my pocket than someone else’s.”  To add insult to injury, the perpetrators refuse to see, or accept, the seriousness of their crime. As some form of pathetic justification for their criminal behaviour, they bleat, plaintively, “I’m not the only one doing it!”

News reports of employers blatantly deceiving the Commonwealth with fudged figures, or attempting to extort from stood-down employees part of the government support package, expose a breath-taking audacity. Sadly, we have become an avaricious society where success is measured by an accumulation of wealth. Their fraudulency knows no limits in the application of strategies devised to achieve an illegal end. There is no considered thought for the ramifications. Like a wilful child, greed runs rampant in their determination.

The William Beveridge report, 1942, championed a cradle-to-grave social insurance plan which sprang from a wartime collective spirit. It endeavoured to square the age-old problem of social inequality. At the same time, good intentions notwithstanding, it has nurtured an attitude and a material expectation. Today, we live in an era of unprecedented entitlement. There is an abundance, and, consequently, we have grown to expect more, with want dwarfing need. There is a propensity to take for granted what we have.  Too easily, we have come to believe we are owed.  In truth, we have no entitlements. We need to appreciate, truly, how fortunate we are, and that life comes with endless obligations to each other. Now, more than ever in our history, we live in a global village. Simplistically, the ease of travel has exacerbated the spread of the coronavirus.

Already, much has been spoken and written about the shape and form of the new social landscape when, finally, we emerge from this international pandemic. Repeatedly, the question is being touted: will the ethos have altered, dramatically, in the period of our lock-down? Self-evidently, we shall have to wait, and see; however, if the defiant crowds gathering on the Sydney beaches, in a blatant breach of official edicts and requests, is any indication of the prevailing, self-centred mind-set, then one would have to wonder. For some, this period of self-isolation will be viewed as a gross inconvenience; a major interruption in the cycle of our daily lives. We need to change our thinking. A mature, healthy, Panglossian society should be possessed of generosity, civility, a deep sense of obligation, social justice, and considerate of others.

The question remains : to dob, or not to dob? Once I might have hesitated out of compassion; an appreciation for the feeble human condition; persuaded, as history has proven, people behave as well as they know how. Today, it is a different kettle of fish. Having fallen victim to a truly brilliant conman, and left dangerously impecunious, I am bereft of any sympathy, and imbued with an inclination to cut-off the hands of thieves.  The answer is obvious: we must report, without compunction, those who choose to rort the system. It is your civil duty to the Commonwealth of Australia, and its people. Punitive justice is nothing more, nor less, than the culprits deserve.

Roland can be heard on RADIO 3BA, every Monday morning, 10.45 and contacted via [email protected].