Post by Banjo on Jan 22, 2011 10:02:05 GMT 7
Dear Senator Xenaphon,
I'd like to enquire whether you plan to support the Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and Other Legislation Amendment (Restoration of Racial Discrimination Act) Bill 2010, in particular the section that plans to limit the right of free Australian citizens on the Disability support Pension to travel outside of Australia.
I'm having trouble following the progress of the bill, the Senate website is exactly easy for people such as myself to glean this type of information from.
Any information you could forward me and my group would be most appreciated,
Regards,
Banjo
Xenaphon is an independent Senator for south Australia, I had high hopes of getting his attention as he is also ethnic Greek and must have voters who travel regularly.
Dear Senator Xenaphon,
I'd like to enquire whether you plan to support the Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and Other Legislation Amendment (Restoration of Racial Discrimination Act) Bill 2010, in particular the section that plans to limit the right of free Australian citizens on the Disability support Pension to travel outside of Australia.
I'm having trouble following the progress of the bill, the Senate website is exactly easy for people such as myself to glean this type of information from.
Any information you could forward me and my group would be most appreciated,
Regards,
Banjo
A Macklin letter
Dear Ms Macklin,
It is with some concern I note that my emails, and those of a number of people in a similar situation to myself have, other than the standard computer generated reply, gone unacknowledged.
Could you please inform me what the planned changes to the Social Security Act concerning the amount of time a Disability Support Pension recipient can spend overseas will be.
This is important to us as we must start planning our lives around the proposed changes.
There will no government savings to be gained from this, we will receive the same pension and make full use of benefits many of us do not use at the moment. Someone not in Australia cannot receive Rent Allowance for instance.
I’d like to take this opportunity to point out Article 18 of United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, ratified by the Australian Government in 2008.
1. States Parties shall recognize the rights of persons with disabilities to liberty of movement, to freedom to choose their residence and to a nationality, on an equal basis with others, including by ensuring that persons with disabilities:
1. Have the right to acquire and change a nationality and are not deprived of their nationality arbitrarily or on the basis of disability;
2. Are not deprived, on the basis of disability, of their ability to obtain, possess and utilize documentation of their nationality or other documentation of identification, or to utilize relevant processes such as immigration proceedings, that may be needed to facilitate exercise of the right to liberty of movement;
3. Are free to leave any country, including their own;
4. Are not deprived, arbitrarily or on the basis of disability, of the right to enter their own country.
Regards,
Banjo
And another,
Dear Ms Macklin,
On 7th October 2003 Wayne Swan said to Parliament:
"I now move to the specific provisions of this bill relating to portability. The measure within this legislation that concerns the opposition is the plan to limit the generosity of the portability provisions relating to work force age social security payments. In particular, this bill seeks to reduce the allowable period of temporary overseas absence for portable social security payments from 26 weeks to 13 weeks. This new portability period will also apply to a range of payments, including the disability support pension and family tax benefit. Labor is particularly concerned about the impact of this measure on some of our larger communities that have a heritage overseas. This includes former UK citizens and also the Greek community.
There are good reasons why the portability provisions should be 26 weeks and not 13. Many families who have parents or siblings living overseas are called upon to go to their aid when they get sick or are dying. In some cases this may involve finalising a person's estate. Often there is a need for a person to spend considerable time overseas. There has never been any evidence presented that shows the current rules have been abused. In fact, the net savings the government is claiming for this provision amount to $4.1 million, and I think they confirm the fact that the government also does not believe that the rules have been abused. These are mean changes that will have a direct impact on people who have loved ones in other countries and they are changes which we will be urging Senator Patterson to join with us in rejecting when this bill reaches the Senate."
As you start your second term in office would it be presumptuous of me to inquire when the legislation Mr Swan opposed in 2003 will be reversed by your government?
Thank You,
Banjo
I'd like to enquire whether you plan to support the Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and Other Legislation Amendment (Restoration of Racial Discrimination Act) Bill 2010, in particular the section that plans to limit the right of free Australian citizens on the Disability support Pension to travel outside of Australia.
I'm having trouble following the progress of the bill, the Senate website is exactly easy for people such as myself to glean this type of information from.
Any information you could forward me and my group would be most appreciated,
Regards,
Banjo
Xenaphon is an independent Senator for south Australia, I had high hopes of getting his attention as he is also ethnic Greek and must have voters who travel regularly.
Dear Senator Xenaphon,
I'd like to enquire whether you plan to support the Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and Other Legislation Amendment (Restoration of Racial Discrimination Act) Bill 2010, in particular the section that plans to limit the right of free Australian citizens on the Disability support Pension to travel outside of Australia.
I'm having trouble following the progress of the bill, the Senate website is exactly easy for people such as myself to glean this type of information from.
Any information you could forward me and my group would be most appreciated,
Regards,
Banjo
A Macklin letter
Dear Ms Macklin,
It is with some concern I note that my emails, and those of a number of people in a similar situation to myself have, other than the standard computer generated reply, gone unacknowledged.
Could you please inform me what the planned changes to the Social Security Act concerning the amount of time a Disability Support Pension recipient can spend overseas will be.
This is important to us as we must start planning our lives around the proposed changes.
There will no government savings to be gained from this, we will receive the same pension and make full use of benefits many of us do not use at the moment. Someone not in Australia cannot receive Rent Allowance for instance.
I’d like to take this opportunity to point out Article 18 of United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, ratified by the Australian Government in 2008.
1. States Parties shall recognize the rights of persons with disabilities to liberty of movement, to freedom to choose their residence and to a nationality, on an equal basis with others, including by ensuring that persons with disabilities:
1. Have the right to acquire and change a nationality and are not deprived of their nationality arbitrarily or on the basis of disability;
2. Are not deprived, on the basis of disability, of their ability to obtain, possess and utilize documentation of their nationality or other documentation of identification, or to utilize relevant processes such as immigration proceedings, that may be needed to facilitate exercise of the right to liberty of movement;
3. Are free to leave any country, including their own;
4. Are not deprived, arbitrarily or on the basis of disability, of the right to enter their own country.
Regards,
Banjo
And another,
Dear Ms Macklin,
On 7th October 2003 Wayne Swan said to Parliament:
"I now move to the specific provisions of this bill relating to portability. The measure within this legislation that concerns the opposition is the plan to limit the generosity of the portability provisions relating to work force age social security payments. In particular, this bill seeks to reduce the allowable period of temporary overseas absence for portable social security payments from 26 weeks to 13 weeks. This new portability period will also apply to a range of payments, including the disability support pension and family tax benefit. Labor is particularly concerned about the impact of this measure on some of our larger communities that have a heritage overseas. This includes former UK citizens and also the Greek community.
There are good reasons why the portability provisions should be 26 weeks and not 13. Many families who have parents or siblings living overseas are called upon to go to their aid when they get sick or are dying. In some cases this may involve finalising a person's estate. Often there is a need for a person to spend considerable time overseas. There has never been any evidence presented that shows the current rules have been abused. In fact, the net savings the government is claiming for this provision amount to $4.1 million, and I think they confirm the fact that the government also does not believe that the rules have been abused. These are mean changes that will have a direct impact on people who have loved ones in other countries and they are changes which we will be urging Senator Patterson to join with us in rejecting when this bill reaches the Senate."
As you start your second term in office would it be presumptuous of me to inquire when the legislation Mr Swan opposed in 2003 will be reversed by your government?
Thank You,
Banjo