Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(Aus.) one who claims unemployment benefit either when work is available or while actually employed in the Black Economy, the Aus. equivalent to a UK ‘dole-scrounger’; thus dole-bludgery, dole-bludging.

1938		N. Lindsay Age Of Consent 22: Sixty navvies on the Springback deviation works, let alone eighty of these dole bugs to attend to.
1977		Bulletin (Sydney) 22 Jan. 14: The last three Labor ministers have all talked a lot about cracking down on ‘dole bludgers.’.
1989		J. Hibberd Memoirs of an Old Bastard 98: Zack [...] demanded to know about ‘the street arab and future dole-bludger’ that wolfed away at their food?
1989		Sydney Morn. Herald 28 Oct. Spectrum 8/4: Boong! Feminist! Wog! Poofter! Welfare Bludger!’.
1991		Age (Melbourne) 12 May 9/3: Most white Australians [...] see [Native Australains] as dole bludgers.
2000		Age (Melbourne) 24 Feb. 21/2: The guy [...] turns out to be a total malingerer — he may be a dole bludger, but he’s not a con man.
2003		McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl.
2021		Betoota-isms 240: [T]hose dole-bludging inbreds from the British Royal Family.