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Post by eight on Jan 18, 2012 17:29:34 GMT 7
What is needed is a lot of ''fly in fly out'' protesters, using a old bus. Decend on a centerlink office with protest signs, cause a desturbance, stop the traffic, get on the tv and newspapers, then when the police come, move on to the next c/link office. Remember it's the squeeky wheel that gets the most attention.
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Post by Banjo on Jan 18, 2012 17:34:10 GMT 7
I'll settle for multiple emails/letters/phone calls to the politicians, I did all my protesting back in the 60s.
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Post by spaceyone on Jan 18, 2012 22:00:33 GMT 7
What irritates me is that a couple of months ago everything was fine as I was in control of my life and in fact directing it towards return to Oz and employment here. Then Centrelink and it's idiotic bureaucrats intruded. What they have done is utterly presumptuous and ignorant of the realities in the life of a person with a disability. They stuck their stupid dirty ignorant fingers into my private life and prospects for employment, and screwed them up royally. I was given no credit for being in control of my life or balancing things as I see fit. As a result of the Catch-22 situation I am now in, I am utterly contemptuous of them. Totally agree. They take control away from you and then screw up your life. Nothing but contempt left for Centrelink and the government who not only allows them to do it to us, but condones it. If I am every able to work again, it will be cash in hand, so I don't end up paying their wages. Got that C/L spies?
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Post by spaceyone on Jan 18, 2012 22:08:47 GMT 7
I would then sign a stat dec and present it to C/L and tell them she left you due to financial hardship. You can always get back together later, kiss n make up I dont know if C/L and immigration share the same files when it comes to assessing your wife as an immigrant. I dont think they do C/L and immigration are linked, and is how they keep track of you guys. This arrangment actually breaks one of the laws of our constitution. Do not try to lie to them. But technically, you and your wife are now separated. It is none of their business how long you plan to stay apart, so admit that you do intend to get back together. The length of your separation depends on how long it takes them to process your wife's application to move over here to be with you. They broke up your marriage, state that quite clearly to them. And once you have sorted out their mess, then you and your wife will get back together. But in the meantime, you are living as a single man, therefore entitled to be paid as such. Make sure you do not send money to her, or vice versa during this arrangment, so they cannot claim that you are still financially linked to each other. P.S. Thanks Zorro
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Post by Banjo on Jan 19, 2012 7:37:17 GMT 7
I'm in constant contact on Skype with another member in a similar situation but he's a bit shy when it comes to telling his story here. He has a child as well and is working towards moving back to Australia with them. The problems are the same, lack of money, fear of leaving the family alone, total lack of sympathy from Centrelink. I wish the government would show a more sympathetic approach to these people, what would it matter if they stayed overseas a little longer when they are genuinely trying to get their loved ones into Australia?
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Post by latindancer on Jan 19, 2012 11:02:55 GMT 7
Make sure you do not send money to her, or vice versa during this arrangment, so they cannot claim that you are still financially linked to each other. Thanks for the suggestion, but theoretically it should be none of Centrelink's business if I send her money. In fact it should indicate that they should give us exemption and be treated as non-partnered as per section 24 (special circumstances), as she needs MY support......I do not get money from HER. The rules about this were formulated to deal with Australian partners living here in Australia......not foreign partners earning AUD$90 per week in Thailand ! The whole business is utterly disgusting. I have fallen through so many gaps in the system it is unbelievable. And all the while I have been trying to get the attention of Centrelink International Services to correct the situation. But they take 2 weeks to answer one email, and even then nothing is done. Now I am waiting for the ARO to contact me as a matter of urgency (special message sent to her) but it is now two days since that message was sent. At least the lady I saw in the local Centrelink office had the grace to look embarrassed as she said her hands were tied till Centrelink International made a decision on the matter of my residency. The problem was caused by Centrelink International and is being perpetuated by them. It's now called The Department of Human Services. What a sick joke !
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Post by zodiac on Jan 20, 2012 8:18:41 GMT 7
has any body flown out in 2012 ?? if so have you had any dramas?? i wanna go to asia im loosing weight in australia.
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Post by Banjo on Jan 20, 2012 9:35:32 GMT 7
I was there and back last week Zodiac, no dramas checking in and out. I spoke to three C'link officers, one personally and two on the phone and none had any information on the foretold changes.
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Post by eight on Jan 20, 2012 18:12:00 GMT 7
has any body flown out in 2012 ?? if so have you had any dramas?? i wanna go to asia im loosing weight in australia. Is it the rice or the beer that you need to gain weight?
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Post by Banker on Jan 20, 2012 18:28:03 GMT 7
has any body flown out in 2012 ?? if so have you had any dramas?? i wanna go to asia im loosing weight in australia. Is it the rice or the beer that you need to gain weight? No Sir Eight, Its the noodles always the bloody noodles
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Post by latindancer on Jan 24, 2012 15:01:31 GMT 7
Thanks to all here who have empathized with my situation. For those interested, here is an update. I called Centrelink International today as I had not received a call after a week ago requesting the ARO phone me as a matter of urgency ( I need to join a Job Network agency but cannot as I am deemed to be non-resident, despite BEING here in Oz now). The ARO turned out to be a quite nice lady (genuinely so) and straight off, apologized for not getting back to me. Because of some sort of glitch in the system which she dos not understand, the internal memo did not show up on her system till yesterday. She seemed to be a fair person but obviously constrained by the system's rules. In the middle of our phone call we were cut off, but eventually she called me back (I had been trying to call her). This was very irritating..... it seems that things generally conspire to make the situation difficult. I THINK I can now join a job network ( I have to force myself to work, being married now), but today my wife is upset we had to part, and experiencing insecurity. The 3 weeks we have been separated seems like 3 months to us both, and I am rather distressed too. However things are happening....SLOWLY. The good news is that when I called the Immigration Department, they said the rules changed recently, and I no longer need to provide an "assurance of support" to bring my wife here. Previously a person needed to have a job and be able to provide for his wife so she did not need to access Centrelink payments for 2 years. Under certain circumstances she can now receive payments. Hopefully I will be working by then and she may well be able to get a job soonish after arriving......however it is assuring to know that a safety net is there if needed.
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Post by zorro1 on Jan 24, 2012 15:25:10 GMT 7
"The good news is that when I called the Immigration Department, they said the rules changed recently, and I no longer need to provide an "assurance of support" to bring my wife here. Previously a person needed to have a job and be able to provide for his wife so she did not need to access Centrelink payments for 2 years. Under certain circumstances she can now receive payments". woohoo you must have good Karma Also regarding C/Link I believe that for the most part ,employees do want to push us through the system. Its the law makers that seem to have a dark side, why else would they try to separate married couples in different countries by threatening to cut off payments
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Post by Banker on Jan 24, 2012 15:28:16 GMT 7
LD, Thanks for your report/update. I am sure everything will turn out OK for you in the long term.
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Post by spaceyone on Jan 24, 2012 19:28:26 GMT 7
Good news LD! Hope all the rest falls into place for you both asap.
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Post by latindancer on Feb 3, 2012 6:23:38 GMT 7
UPDATE : For those following my saga.
As you know, I had to return to Australia at the end of December because a Centrelink officer phoned me in Thailand and said that because I had been married in September, my Disability Pension would be cancelled because of the new rules coming into effect in January.
Since then, in Australia I have been trying to get work (by my own efforts) and trying to get help from Centrelink but have not had success in either. The Job Network agency told me that as I had not had a Job Capacity Assessment for 2 years, I needed to have one before joining them. Centrelink then told me that I could not get one because I was still deemed to be non-resident in Australia, but the Authorized Review I have pending would sort this out. I (finally) contacted the officer concerned and got them to deem me resident. Went to Centrelink but as it was late in the afternoon, they could not book my Job Capacity Assessment....but they asked for my name and customer reference number and said they'd call me with the appointment. A week passed and no contact. I called and insisted getting a JCA. They then said I could not book in until I had a letter from my doctor saying I was capable of work. I went to the doctor, got it, stood in line at Centrelink, waited, and finally the guy there said that I had actually had a JCA in June, less than 2 years ago, so did not need one....or the doctor's letter. ( I could not remember when I had last been for a JCA and relied on the Job Agency's word). They then offered to book me an appointment with a Disability Job Agency. First they said I'd have to wait 2 weeks, but finally I insisted I needed to see one soon and they booked me in for one today, a couple of suburbs away.. What this boils down to is incompetence of the Job Network Agency AND Centrelink. And it was the MANAGER of the Job Network place I spoke to. What a bunch of cretins. They have caused me even FURTHER stress and wasted more than 2 weeks of my life (more like 3, actually), waiting. Not to mention waiting in the Centrelink office (twice), on the phone to Centrelink (often 30 minutes on hold each time ), waiting at the doctor's office and travelling back and forth from these places.
A large government agency has stood over me and forced me to separate from my wife after only 3 months marriage. This is emotional brutality posing as sanity and order. It has made a mockery of conscience and degraded the innocence and coherence upon which our wellbeing depended. This poverty of spirit has gone against the basic principles of common human decency. It is actually quite obscene *. There has been a failure of spirit and imagination at the level of practical detail. I could do nothing and felt quite disempowered in the face of monstrous state power that has gradually twisted and transformed itself into a heartless dysfunctional and idiotic beast. By this measure we may see the extent to which our ethical system in Australia is collapsing. The term 'half smart' was once used by uneducated working-class people about their clever superiors, and refers to the amazing 'intelligent stupidity' and blind spots for which leaders and brainy people became famous through the folly and damage they bring to those who have relied on them. 'Half smart' refers to unintegrated intelligence and incomplete personality. This well describes the people I have come into contact with in Centrelink, in particular the person who deemed me to be non-resident in Australia following my marriage. Not to mention the manager of the Job Network Agency.
*One definition of the word 'obscene': "Repulsive by reason of crass disregard of moral or ethical principles".
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