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.

[spotweldersfriend]

Maybe they went OS for cheaper remedial treatment.I hear Thailand's good if you have a crook back;)

[cherry*135]

From the link in the opening post " The federal government now disallows the pension for those who are overseas for more than six weeks"

Now read the following and see if you agree the above statement is incorrect and misleading.


Disability Support Pension (DSP)
If you leave Australia to live in another country you will not be able to receive Disability Support Pension (DSP) in the other country, unless you:

are terminally ill and are leaving Australia permanently to be with or near a family member, or to return to your country of origin, or
left Australia prior to 1 July 2004, and at the time of leaving you were told that you could be paid indefinitely, and you have not returned to Australia to live since that time, or
have been assessed in Australia prior to the departure as having a permanent, severe impairment and no future work capacity. Assessment involves a review of your DSP qualification and a Job Capacity Assessment
In these situations, you can keep your DSP payments for the whole time you are outside Australia, however, the amount that you get may change.

When you leave Australia temporarily, you can usually get your DSP payments for up to six weeks while you're away.

You may be able to get your DSP for more than six weeks if you:

are studying outside Australia as part of a full-time Australian course, or
are severely disabled and dependent on and living with, a family member who has been temporarily posted to work outside Australia by their Australian employer
If you returned to live in Australia and were granted or transferred to DSP within the last two years, you will not be able to receive DSP outside Australia. After you return, to be paid outside the country you must have been living in Australia for two years since you last arrived in Australia to live.

If you stop receiving your DSP under the rules mentioned above, you may be able to get a pension from the country you're going to, if it has a social security agreement with Australia that covers DSP. However, this normally requires you to be 'severely disabled'.

If you are travelling to New Zealand, your payment rate may be affected by the social security agreement between Australia and New Zealand.

For more information, such as whether the country that you are going to has a social security agreement with Australia, visit Countries that have a agreements with Australia or call International Services on 131 673.

[cherry*135]

....and if you're not genuinely disabled and living outside of Australia/overseas.....watch out....... because....????


That doesn't make sense. Lots of non disabled people live outside Australia..should they all live IN Australia???
What do they have to watch out for?

[fourandsixpants]

to spot:

Maybe they went OS for cheaper remedial treatment.I hear Thailand's good if you have a crook back

.............................................................................................................................................................................................................

..........or...

.....another option might be....

....is that a camera i see hidden in a coconut? *gasp!!!

[cherry*135]

Its not at all funny to laugh about people who are permanently disabled. Could happen to any of us at any time.

[izabsmiling]

you missed the point...

I know that there are some who feel tempted at the moment Paints 

They are scared about what is ahead under this Government and a future living among Australians who have 'tea party'   values.

That's A Government giving a helping hand 

[fourandsixpants]

I'm not laughing at any physically challenged amongst us am3. I am laughing at the purported able bodied and supposedly able minded that are behind this utter rubbish line of debate.

[fourandsixpants]

to izab.

Thanks.

*sheesh already!

[fourandsixpants]

to izab:

I know that there are some who feel tempted at the moment Paints

They are scared about what is ahead under this Government and a future living among Australians who have 'tea party'   values.

That's A Government giving a helping hand

................................................................................................................................................................................................................

....and not just those on DSP either.

People have had enough of working 12 hour shifts, 4 weeks on then 2 weeks off and worse turn arounds for many fly-in/outers....to then have to give soooo much in tax and bank fees......to suffer marriage and partnership break downs, miss a normal family life .

Others cannot get more than 2-4 hours a week work because even the large companies are clamping down on hours or are handing out redundancies......

Its cheaper to live off shore for many, even with the cost of return air tickets for 2 weeks at a time, compared to cost of rent/mortgage, food and everyday living expenses here in Australia. I know several people who do this. 

[*crikey*mate*]

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@izabsmiling wrote:

you missed the point...

I know that there are some who feel tempted at the moment Paints 

They are scared about what is ahead under this Government and a future living among Australians who have 'tea party'   values.

That's A Government giving a helping hand 

---

but hang on, isn't this thread about persons who do not reside here? So they're not actually living amongst Australians then, are they?