Ricky Muir has opened up about his "soul-destroying" year on the dole after leaving home at the age of 15.
The crossbench senator, whose vote might decide whether young unemployed Australians have to wait six months for the dole, has revealed for the first time how desperate he was to find a job when he left school in 1996.
His many attempts at entry-level positions, including at an abattoir near his home in regional Victoria, were unsuccessful.
"At times, tears were shed," he wrote in a foreword to the Youth Unemployment Monitor.
With his parents struggling with their own financial problems, Senator Muir had to rely on Centrelink payments for more than a year.
He eventually landed his first job at the age of 17.
Being a teenager and jobless was a very challenging time, he said, rejecting a commonly-held view that young people are lazy.
"We can't afford as an economy, let alone a society, to crush the hopes of the next generation."
Senator Muir said he was not a fan of all work-for-the-dole schemes, but he did admit to benefiting from one created under John Howard.
Social Services Minister Scott Morrison said he has had "very useful" discussions with Senator Muir about the government's plan for the dole.
Mr Morrison told reporters in Canberra he is prepared to consider dumping the policy.
"If someone wants to put something on the table which is a good idea, well we can look at what's on the table and take it off," he said.
