topic Re: Disability Pensioners Living Overseas in Community Spirit

Disability Pensioners Living Overseas

icyfroth — Fri, 09 May 2014 01:13:34 GMT

This was being discussed on the breakfast show this moring:

THOUSANDS of Australian disability pensioners are receiving taxpayers' money to live overseas, many in places best known as holiday destinations.

Australians are paying $100 million a year to fund 7300 recipients of the disability pension living overseas.

Official figures show the greatest number, more than 1200, live in Greece, while hundreds more live in Turkey, Croatia, Thailand and New Zealand.

The Philippines and areas of Indonesia, including 83 people in Bali, are among the other destinations where Australian disability pensioners are living at a cost to the taxpayer of $99.9 million a year, News Corp reports.

Social Service Minister Kevin Andrews has told News Corp he has asked for information clarifying residency requirements for such pensioners, saying he's concerned some pension recipients may be choosing to live overseas for lifestyle reasons at the expense of taxpayers.

The federal government now disallows the pension for those who are overseas for more than six weeks.

From Here

The consensus of callers invited to comment felt that disability pensioners should be living in Australia. That is my opinion also. $100 mil for aussie pensioners living overseas permanently is money that's not going back into the Aus economy.

Re: Disability Pensioners Living Overseas

azureline** — Fri, 09 May 2014 01:17:22 GMT

I totally agree.

Re: Disability Pensioners Living Overseas

mugssy65 — Fri, 09 May 2014 01:23:45 GMT

The ones I know in Bali do so because their money has so much more value over there, they can live like kings on their pension, they paid their tax their entire working life and believe they should spend their money where and how they like! I suppose one could argue that they are also no longer a bourdon on our health care system.
I'd also like to add that when Chanel 7 says 9 Australians a week die in Bali you can bet 2/3 of them are these pensioners. Lol

Re: Disability Pensioners Living Overseas

purple_haize — Fri, 09 May 2014 01:27:53 GMT

Of course they should be living in Australia & not where they please.

When I went overseas, I was told if I stayed longer than 6 weeks, I would lose the disability pension, so why is it different for the ones living overseas.?

Re: Disability Pensioners Living Overseas

azureline** — Fri, 09 May 2014 01:33:31 GMT

I think they should live where they please and spend their money where they choose but.....................disability pension is quite different to aged pension.

There are people who have been on the disability pension for more years than they worked/paid tax for. Aged pension usually indicates they worked until 60/65 and paid tax.

Re: Disability Pensioners Living Overseas

icyfroth — Fri, 09 May 2014 01:36:56 GMT

@mugssy65 wrote:
The ones I know in Bali do so because their money has so much more value over there, they can live like kings on their pension, they paid their tax their entire working life and believe they should spend their money where and how they like! I suppose one could argue that they are also no longer a bourdon on our health care system.
I'd also like to add that when Chanel 7 says 9 Australians a week die in Bali you can bet 2/3 of them are these pensioners. Lol

It's not age pensioners, mugssy, it's disability pensioners.

It doesn't follow that a disability pensioner has paid tax all their life. Actually some disability pensioners may have never been in a position to pay tax at all, ever.

Re: Disability Pensioners Living Overseas

debra9275 — Fri, 09 May 2014 01:38:59 GMT

I think that should be looked into as well Icy, as you say , it's not money being invested back into our economy

Re: Disability Pensioners Living Overseas

boris1gary — Fri, 09 May 2014 01:42:41 GMT

for goodness sake, lets go after those people on the DSP living abroad, how dare they.....meanwhile....lets cheer the fabulous wealthy tax evaders........but lets focus on a very small number of disabled people who for reasons UNKNOWN to us are living abroad.

==============================================

SINGAPORE might cover an area of just 712 square kilometres, but it is fast becoming a tax haven for rich Australians. The attractions are large. Capital gains are not taxed. Individuals are only taxed on income earned directly in Singapore, and for the super wealthy, there are no inheritance taxes.

Mining magnate Gina Rinehart — the largest shareholder in Fairfax Media — is the latest to buy up big in the city state. The billionaire has reportedly spent $S57 million ($A43.8 million) on two units, off the plan, in the Seven Palms Sentosa Cove condominium project.

But Mrs Rinehart is not the first Australian mining magnate to head to Singapore. Billionaire Nathan Tinkler of Whitehaven Coal recently put his plans for a $13 million beachfront pad in Newcastle on hold and moved his family to Singapore.

A number of wealthy Australians including Brett Blundy, Nathan Tinkler and Joseph Gutnick have also recently packed up and moved there.

Australian companies including BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, ANZ and Visy Industries are taking advantage of Singapore’s regional location and increasingly leveraging the high Australian dollar to source materials from Asia. BHP now has more people in its Singapore office than its Melbourne head office.

Re: Disability Pensioners Living Overseas

lind9650 — Fri, 09 May 2014 01:43:02 GMT

There is a difference between Disability Pension and Age Pension. Yes, Age pensioners have paid their Taxes all their working life and have a right to retire wherever they like. I know of one Italian gentleman who went back to Italy after retiring, because he had no family left in Australia, but siblings and their children in Italy.

Different story with disability. Some disabilities are not permanent and some are able to work part time. Is Australia Medicare paying for their treatments in other countries as well?

Just curious.

Erica

Re: Disability Pensioners Living Overseas

silverfaun — Fri, 09 May 2014 01:46:37 GMT

Another consequence of family reunion policy of an “anchor” accessing Australia then bringing their family and extended family here to access all the benefits they contributed nothing to.

Illegal immigrants will no longer be able to to this.

Re: Disability Pensioners Living Overseas

icyfroth — Fri, 09 May 2014 02:01:35 GMT

@boris1gary wrote:
for goodness sake, lets go after those people on the DSP living abroad, how dare they.....meanwhile....lets cheer the fabulous wealthy tax evaders........but lets focus on a very small number of disabled people who for reasons UNKNOWN to us are living abroad.

==============================================

SINGAPORE might cover an area of just 712 square kilometres, but it is fast becoming a tax haven for rich Australians. The attractions are large. Capital gains are not taxed. Individuals are only taxed on income earned directly in Singapore, and for the super wealthy, there are no inheritance taxes.

Mining magnate Gina Rinehart — the largest shareholder in Fairfax Media — is the latest to buy up big in the city state. The billionaire has reportedly spent $S57 million ($A43.8 million) on two units, off the plan, in the Seven Palms Sentosa Cove condominium project.

But Mrs Rinehart is not the first Australian mining magnate to head to Singapore. Billionaire Nathan Tinkler of Whitehaven Coal recently put his plans for a $13 million beachfront pad in Newcastle on hold and moved his family to Singapore.

A number of wealthy Australians including Brett Blundy, Nathan Tinkler and Joseph Gutnick have also recently packed up and moved there.

Australian companies including BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, ANZ and Visy Industries are taking advantage of Singapore’s regional location and increasingly leveraging the high Australian dollar to source materials from Asia. BHP now has more people in its Singapore office than its Melbourne head office.

Do try to stay on topic, Boris.

Re: Disability Pensioners Living Overseas

freakiness — Fri, 09 May 2014 02:24:49 GMT

@icyfroth wrote:

Do try to stay on topic, Boris and silverfaun.

fixed it for you.

Re: Disability Pensioners Living Overseas

mugssy65 — Fri, 09 May 2014 02:30:51 GMT

Yep sorry I missed the disability bit!
But it's my understanding that aged pensioners are no longer able to live abroad either.

Re: Disability Pensioners Living Overseas

cherry*135 — Fri, 09 May 2014 02:40:38 GMT

In 2012 new rules for disability support pensioners - if assessed as having NO FUTURE WORK CAPACITY can remain outside Australia indefinitely.

I presume that rule is still valid.

If so you would think who ever wrote that article would have found that out and included it in the story.

People might not agree with this rule but those DSPers living oseas who can do so if they are eligible arent doing anything shifty.

If they have no future work capacity then they wouldn't be required in Australia to be actively seeking work.

Re: Disability Pensioners Living Overseas

lakeland27 — Fri, 09 May 2014 02:41:36 GMT

Historically greece and australia have an agreement on pensions. workers who spent most or part of their working life in greece have pensions or part -pensions paid here by the greek government. it works likewise in reverse under the agreement. people retiring to greece who worked all of their life paying australian taxes have it paid by the australian government . disability is no different, if the same family have a disabled son .. an australian citizen and they choose to take him with them to greece why prevent them ? should they leave him in a nursing home here ? the minister is either being disingenuous or has no idea.

Re: Disability Pensioners Living Overseas

cherry*135 — Fri, 09 May 2014 02:47:03 GMT

Aged pensioners living overseas. .different factors..some countries have reciprocal agreements with Australia , depends on how long the person has lived in Aust before date a person is eligible for an aged pension. Quite complicated.

Re: Disability Pensioners Living Overseas

cherry*135 — Fri, 09 May 2014 02:49:08 GMT

LL - the Minister has no idea. Wouldn't have taken his staff long to check the rules before commenting.

Re: Disability Pensioners Living Overseas

lakeland27 — Fri, 09 May 2014 02:50:29 GMT

it is quite complicated.

Re: Disability Pensioners Living Overseas

icyfroth — Fri, 09 May 2014 02:51:08 GMT

I'm pretty sure it would be made subject to circumstance, Lakes.

Re: Disability Pensioners Living Overseas

freakiness — Fri, 09 May 2014 02:57:03 GMT

7500 people out of how many million?

Why is this even an issue?

It's just another one of those things designed to get Aussie people hating on other Aussie people.

Drive in the wedges. get the whispers about each other happening over the fences and bars across the country. Get people so busy hating and distrusting each other that they fail to notice what the Loons and friends are up to.