David McCowan​ is a 63-year-old amputee with a serious heart condition but, according to the Australian government, he is fit for work as a mobile security guard.
Failing that particular career option, the federal Department of Human Services suggested he try his hand at becoming a tram driver or a gaming attendant.
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The only problem is he lives on Norfolk Island, where there are no trams or casinos.
Mr McCowan, a lifelong Norfolk resident who ran the island's hospital for 13 years, is one of a number of islanders at loggerheads with the DHS since the Australian government's controversial takeover last June.
Greg Magri, 47, has received a Norfolk Island DSP for nearly 15 years due to a brain injury caused by a stroke. He said his application for an Australian disability support pension (DSP) was rejected because he is not registered with a disability employment service but, up until last July, no such organisation existed on the island.
In the meantime, he has been transferred to the Newstart Allowance which leaves him $150 a week worse off.
"It's a joke," he said. "I was told it would be an easy transition but it's been nothing but stress and anguish."
Mr McCowan applied for a DSP last June, the same month he suffered a heart attack which left him clinically dead, requiring resuscitation and recovery in the intensive care unit of Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney.Â
![David McCowan is a 63-year-old amputee who has a serious heart condition. His application for a disability pension has ...](/web/20170205122037im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/4/k/9/e/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gu42no.png/1486290654806.jpg)
The application was rejected in August with Mr McCowan saying he was told to lodge a request under freedom of information laws to find out why.Â
He appealed the decision in October but was informed in December that the appeal was unsuccessful.
![Norfolk Island is a beautiful place but the Australian government's treatment of residents has caused anger.](/web/20170205122037im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/e/4/b/2/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gu42no.png/1486290654806.jpg)
"It's been an ongoing nightmare," he said. "I am a 63-year-old, above-the-knee amputee who's recovering from a massive heart attack and I've been rejected for disability support. It's just crazy."
The DHS wrote to him with a list of suggested job options including taxi driver, bus/tram driver, mobile security patrol, telephone nursing, gaming attendant or sales representative.Â
![David McCowan is a 63-year-old amputee who has a serious heart condition. His application for a disability pension has ...](/web/20170205122037im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/4/k/9/s/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.gu42no.png/1486290654806.jpg)
"It's clear they don't read the medical reports," he said.
"The cardiologist said I will never be able to hold a commercial driver's licence because of my heart condition and yet the DHS have suggested I become a taxi driver or a tram driver, notwithstanding the fact there are no trams on the island.
"When they suggested mobile security patrol, I thought they were joking. But they were completely serious."
Mr McGowan, whose leg was amputated after an accident in 2005, intends to continue his appeals while surviving off his savings.
"[The DHS]Â has not taken into consideration the types of jobs available on the island," he said.
"They have taken the one-size-fits-all approach, tick all the boxes and move on. They simply don't care."
Department of Human Services general manager Hank Jongen said DSP applications were assessed according to legislated criteria.
Mr Jongen said an applicant's job capacity is assessed by qualified health professionals to identify "the impact of a person's permanent physical, intellectual, or psychiatric impairment on their ability to work."Â
"The local labour market does not have a bearing on these eligibility criteria," he said.