Centrelink recipient couple's life on Sunshine Coast: Coffee, private school, ... trends now
A couple who sparked outrage after appearing on national TV to complain about struggling on Centrelink have been spotted going about their leisurely daily routine.
Mark Goodrick, a chef who said he doesn't have the energy to work full-time, looked relaxed on Thursday as he surfaced at 10.15am at his family's luxury apartment block on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.
After a 15-minute chat with a neighbour he then drove his Toyota HiLux ute - one of the family's two cars - to a local cafe where he drank a coffee and spent an hour and a half reading at a corner table before returning home.
Earlier that morning his wife Jennifer Searson drove their 15-year-old daughter to her $8,375-year private school and was home again by 8.40am.
Ms Searson, a lab technician who is certified in education support and business administration, is on a carer's payment because her daughter has autism.
This makes her eligible to receive a maximum basic rate of $971.50 a fortnight.
Mr Goodrick works casually at a service station and earns about $1,300 a fortnight. On top of that he gets $250 from Centrelink, bringing his fortnightly pay to nearly $1,600.
Neither have worked full-time since moving from Sydney in 2018 in search of a more affordable life.
At 8am on Thursday morning Jennifer Searson took her 15-year-old daughter to her $8,375-year private school
Mark Goodrick, a chef who said he doesn't have the energy to work full-time, looked relaxed on Thursday as enjoyed a chat
Mr Goodrick left home at 10.30am and drove his Toyota HiLux, one of the family's two cars, to a local cafe
Mr Goodrick enjoyed a coffee and read his book for an hour and a half before returning home at midday
The couple were featured on the ABC's pre-Budget 7.30 program on Monday night where they discussed the need for income support payments to be increased.
But their segment caused controversy, with viewers noticing that neither Mr Goodrick nor Ms Searson appeared to be planning to find full-time work while also spending $350-a-week on groceries for their family of three.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has since called for Centrelink to crack down on welfare recipients who were not willing to work.
'You've got to help those who are most deserving, and if you've got a situation where people are rorting the system or taking money out of the system... the money needs to be spent wisely,' Mr Dutton told 2GB on Thursday.
'It's not for people in a situation where they can get a job but refuse to take a job, that's not what the system is about.
'If that's the case then Centrelink should be taking action against people in that circumstance and suspending their payment and making sure they take the job instead of leading a leisurely lifestyle on someone else's tax dollars.'
During the ABC program Mr Goodrick appeared to admit that he preferred working casually in order to receive Centrelink payments.
'So what do I do? Do I do the right
