Words & TermsPolitics and public life
dole bludger
A disparaging label for an unemployed person receiving welfare.
In a sentence
In this historical or contextual use, “dole bludger” means a disparaging label for an unemployed person receiving welfare.
Where it came from
ABC traces the expression's emergence in 1970s Australian political rhetoric and its continuing social power.
- Initial era
- 1950–1999
- Where used
- Australian use; no narrower regional pattern established