Letter to the Minister

[Banjo]

Dear Minister O'Connor,

I refer to the Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Disability Support Pension Participation Reforms) Bill 2012 currently before parliament; in particular to Section 1218AAA: Unlimited portability period for disability support pension—severely impaired disability support pensioner.

Many Disability Support Pension recipients such as myself will find this a most welcome change to our freedom of movement outside of Australia and would like to thank you for being involved in this.

However we find that Centrelink officers are wasting time and resources enforcing the Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and Other Legislation Amendment (Budget and Other Measures) Bill 2010 which came into force on January 1st this year and gives Centrelink the right to remove residency from Australian citizens, in this case Disability Support Pensioners, who spend too much time outside of Australia.

I really cannot see the point of this if they will receive the unlimited portability promised in the new amendment on June 30th.

Would it be possible to allow a stay of these procedures and allow us to continue with the normal 13 week portability we have been using until Centrelink get around to assessing us for the planned new rules?

Virtually all of us who have been travelling regularly for any period of time will qualify without any difficulty.

Yours etc

[lynne]

Who else can we send it to?? Would be great if we can have this pushed through.

[Banjo]

Minister Jenny Macklin is the head honcho of the whole Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs shebang.
I think they do take notice if you keep on at them.

[lynne]

Okay I sent one. Maybe if we all do the same will show some strength in numbers.

[Banjo]

For sure, get into them Lynne, I've been pushing this lot to send in letters and emails for nearly two years now.

The Liberal fellow... Senator Mitch Fifield was talking to me for a while but I never heard back from the last letter.

[lynne]

AND THE SENATORS EMAIL?? WE ALL NEED TO PULL TOGETHER TO BE HEARD. THROWING MUD AT CENTRELINK & POLITICIANS GETS US NOWHERE. A STRATEGY IS NEEDED SO WE ALL HAVE THE SAME VOICE, SAME MOTIVATION FOR CHANGES TO TAKE PLACE QUICKLY. WHO ELSE HAS ARRIVED BACK RECENTLY TO UNDERGO ESTABLISHING RESIDENCY BECAUSE WE ALL NEED TO BAND TOGETHER AND GET THE SHOW ON THE ROAD. I FOR ONE WANT TO GO HOME.

[Banjo]

All the pollies emails are in the links section Lynne but because I am a generous and kind hearted administrator who loves all little new members I will find it for you.

www.mitchfifield.com/Contact.aspx

or, just....

[e-mail]

[Banjo]

I got a reply from the Minister saying that DHS must make decisions based on current legislation... blah blah blah...

[lynne]

So in a nutshell, is he admitting he knows less than we do if he can not see past June 30?

[zingzingzing]

So there is no real news of this?

I leaving for Japan for 1 month (mostly Southern Japan), towards end of July and most of August so I am wondering what I should do (apart from letting Centerlink know that I'm going for 1 month).

?

[Banjo]

I think that's pretty much any of us can do at the moment, just tell them we're leaving and see what happens.
If you think you may qualify for the indefinite portability it may not be an issue by then anyway.

[Banjo]

Around the same time I also sent a letter inquiring how many DSP recipients received a discretionary extension of their portability on health grounds under Section 1218C of the Act in 2010; which covers illness related over stays.

I was told in no uncertain terms that giving me this, which seemed like a fairly basic stat to me, would be a breach of the Privacy Act of 1988.

Err... hello there, I just want a number, not the names and addresses of the people.
Of course, there may just not have been any and they were too embarrassed to say?

[zingzingzing]

Most likely the latter Banjo.

[latindancer]

Any old nonsense is better than none. It sounds like the kind of BS you get from bureaucrats in Thailand.

[bundyrum]

I would say no extensions..their idea is to kick u off..like me.they didn't even offer any other help..just the boot and go starve to death..my g/father who fought at the Somme.now gone would like to get his hands on em..