Disability Pensioners Living Overseas

[icyfroth]

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.

[azureline**]

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.

I totally agree.

[mugssy65]

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

[purple_haize]

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.?

[azureline**]

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.

[icyfroth]

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@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

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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.

[debra9275]

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

[boris1gary]

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.

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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.

[lind9650]

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

[silverfaun]

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.