I'm not in OZ, but probably similar setting here in the US.
In my city, there is a systematic grift of the dole game going on. Generations of family learn how to maximize their draw on it so there just isn't any hope for the new ones being brought up and trained to play that game. There is a staggering 60% of my city's population living on the dole. Yes, you read that right - 60%. I was unemployed for 5 months one year and with that exception I've worked full time ever since I was 20, and that was only delayed because I was in school & college. There are folks who genuinely need, but in my experience the vast majority on the dole do NOT need it and it just drags us hard-working folks down. The trick is making sure those who have genuine need still get it and cutting off the leeches. Fat chance of that - it's easier to get elected when you don't promise to fix that problem.
My long-held truism that I regurgitate whenever I get the chance is this: If there are no consequences to pay for a person's behavior, they will never change their behavior. That is true for rich, poor, honest, corrupt, etc. Conversely, when there are consequences to pay for one's behavior, it will change in a hurry almost every time. This is true for 100% of humanity. Some folks are more disciplined than others and can alter behavior based on deferred gratification (or the perception of it whether true or not). But we all do everything we do based on what we think is the right thing to do for us. As for me, I enjoy doing a good job on what I put my time into and enjoy stimulating my mind with interesting and challenging projects, so that's what I do. For a murdering thief, they want "stuff" and see nothing wrong with taking what they want and damn the torpedoes. Politicians live a very good life by taking bribes and know they will never be sent to prison or even lose what they've taken even if they get caught, so why change?
So why "keep striving for things we don't need?". You could ask "Why strive at all?". It's part of the human experience man. We just keep climbing. The details of what you're climbing are the difference I guess. There are way, way too many people on this planet and poverty works out great for rich folks so it's not even talked about let alone anything done to slow it down.
So I guess I do what has been mentioned already. Be honest, trade honest. Being the realist that I am, I don't hold much hope that it will catch on though. History keeps on repeating itself right? The catching on part has never happened in any significant way before so I don't believe it ever will. Plus, I have never even been able to convince anybody over the age of 5 anything different than what they already had an opinion even on something with the smallest speck of significance, so turning a 6-billion member herd the slightest nano-bit off their current trajectory is pure folly in my opinion. A guy can go ahead and try if they want. I'm too old and don't have that kind of energy.
my 2₵
