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.

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.