scorecard

-You have to physically be in Australia on the day you apply for the OAP (but you can apply online, Centrelink have live information about your country location on the day of application from their open link to passport data. -Nowadays OAP applications are processed quickly and your first payment is backdated to the date you lodged your application. (NOT the day you arrived in Australia and the date of finish for the 2 years date isn't relevant to the approval.) My OAP was approved in just over 2 weeks. - You need to visit any Centrelink office to get a CRN (Centrelink Reference Number) which involves proving your identity. AMogst several things they require a couple of official plastic cards with your name and your photo. I was struggling with this and the helpful pleasant Centrelink lady noticed my Thai Driving License, she asked if she could check what details are on the licence card, then she said 'this is perfect, we'll use this'. I said but it's not issed in Oz, she responded 'that's not needed'. Their system accepted it. - You mentioned 'never mind about the portability stuff' or similar but may be worth sharing that you don't have to stay in Australia for the 2 years, you can leave and return several times on short trips and your pension doesn't stop or reduce. - Folks residing abroad (with portability) receive the full CPI increases same as folks in Oz. - Folks with portability don't get the energy allowance (about AUD12.00? per fortnight). - Don't listen to stories about Centrelink staff being unhelpful, rude etc., it's all changed, I found them very polite and courteous and very focused on my needs/questions. I'm in a wheelchair, they went out of their way to make me comfortable in their office, at the desk of the polite officer and she called the DVA taxi service to come nad pick me up then she came out to the taxi to ensure I was comfortable etc. Well done. - You can call the Centrelink 'older Australians' line as often as you like, always answered quickly, very focused polite staff. - When you do the Centrelink office visit you can also easily/quickly renew your Medicare membership. All easy and quick. Easier if you've got your old number. The lady entered the details then 2 seconds later a letter automatically printed at her desk which she gave me and said 'use this letter to prove your name and number until your card arrives'. I got the card in the post about 5 days later.

On the back does it say cannot move more than ? kilometres away from place of issue?

The Labour Dept., have a good track record, they've helped many people including farang. But be realistic, if the complainant doesn't have a case then they can't help.

That sounds like he''s entitled to be given different treatment compared to everyday citizens. That cannot be.

And you have a fully paid up watertight guarantee there will never be an accident causing your death, maybe next week?

"... ..but even if you assimilate there are no benefits whatsoever." Do you need donations to buy a one way ticket out?

Sure, maybe he's also running to continue many opportunities to push his ignorant and poor MAGA followers to give him very big donations, which he claims are for specific causes but proven many times 90+% of the donations went straight into his pocket.

So nothing has changed, many many lies and much accusations and twisted rubbish. - Wonder who from the GOP will also run and if any have any credibility. - When will charges be laid for all the laws he has clearly broken.

There's a pleasant Aussie guy living full-time in Chiang Mai, he is a Justice of the Peace for Queensland and is authorised to witness such documents anywhere in the world. He refuses payments or gifts. For more details send an e.mail to the Aussie Honarary Consulate in Chiang Mai, he will quickly advise the full contact details. Call the JP guy for an appoinement, I saw him the next day, take basic documents obviously current passport, no detailed interview, takes 10 minutes. Plenty of parking in the under cover parking area at his condo, about 10 minutes from Central Festival.

Big money, less than half the cost of one can of Chang. Spend wisely.

Been to plenty of houses in AUstralia and the 3 seater and 2 individual sofa chairs still fully wrapped in plastic 5 years after purchase. Same for cars, seats still in plastic.

It astonishes me that you can't extend some courtesy to another human being who is just trying to check what's 'normal' in Thailand.

Good point, then there's the pardoning of his valuable cronies (valuable to him) most of whom are cheats and liars and corrupt as hell.

For decades folks have claimed 'the rich get richer and the poor get poorer' but nothing done. If there was ever a good reason for violence (and there is no good for violence/war), it would be action to redress this. Just recently there seems to be more solid/specific action re climate change whereas only 12 months ago climate change was discussed but no action. Could it be that the time is coming where discussion will actually be action (but hopefully not violence) to demand some redress regarding sharing the wealth and paying for the damage done through rampant capitalism (the rich get richer and the poor get poorer). I hope so.

INteresting point. On the one hand he was claiming he would clean up politics etc., (just BS talk, nothing more) and on the other hand no hesitation to break every law in the book* and refuse to cooperate in well established legal processes, and at the same time claiming many times that he was the president of law and order. (*Including the typical things he would claim as the swamp that needed cleaning up.)

Nice points however I suspect the's a double 'fators' situation; 1.. As said above "The GOP thought it would bank on stressing traditional conservative values and policies: anti-abortion, anti-green, anti-woke, anti-LGBT, pro-gun, pro-religion, etc.... .... but at the same time 2. Support for mr. magic trump who would magically change everything. But in reality his ego has been shot to pieces / killed and his severe selfishness ..me. me..me.. more exposed. .... but Just wondering when his poor naive MAGA followers (who believed he was magic and would make their lives much better) will relize they have been fleeced for hundreds of millions to support the magic boys ideas/causes (but in reality seems to be well established that 90% of that money went into his pockets). Is he bankrupt, again? and, when will he go to jail?

My mistake. I assumed visa exempt was in fact a type of visa (issued on arrival with no application etc., to folks from a list of specific countries). Obviously I'm wrong, my error.

If you're a foreigner how can you actually be in Thailand if you don't have a visa? (Unless you're on an extension or have PR?)

'...and like Reagan, didn't really run the country'. Reminds me of a comment from a respected commentator during his presidency; 'Reagan comes across to me as always basically saying '...well if things don't change they'll stay the same', with an expectation that his listeners would be impressed.

My Thai son and his Thai wife had a long session with the internal design architect for their new house including much discussion about getting the FUNG SHUI correct. They immediately got a new copy of the drawings and quickly took the drawings to an old family friend (a Dr. of Medicine) who is an 'expert' re FUNG SHUI, he studied the drawings and suggested a couple of very small adjustments.

Disrespectful and not nice behavior.

There's other scenarios too... A multi-national company posted me to Thailand, local Thai staff made me very welcome at work and socially, many spoke OK to very good English. I met a Thai lady, Dr. of Medicine, perfect English, we had one son. Her family made me very welcome, plenty of English, my FIL, wonderful pleasant well informed man taught me how to cook some easy/delicious Thai dishes, I taught him to cook several pasta dishes. Son now well educated (speaks reads, writes native speaker English and Thai) in a good career, wonderful Thai wife, 3 kids all bi-lingual all doing well in school. I'm happy.

99% same story is rampant in Australia, winner of very expensive new model smartphone notified of win by e.mail, brand names mentioned, names of well respected shops/organizations falsely/without authority used in terms of who conducted the competition etc. Response complicated, includes ned to pay several hundred AU$ in gov't fees, and gets more complicted step by step, the org. who advised 'you have won...' also gets changed. And they ask more and more personal questions. They also call and try to get personal info. Obviously they can get e.mail and mobile numbers. They've conned many old age pensioners, partly through an added comment '.... if you don't need a new phone we can help you sell it.' Total scam.

I should add, the mattress protectors I have are like a fully fitted bottom sheet so they cover the mattresss completely and cover the sides of the mattress from stains etc. (not like a pad with elastic bands on each corner).

Simple mattress protectors a special type of plastic (waterproof) and very flexible like cotton or similar and work well but the plastic is nothing like the plastic covering when delivered new. Mattress protectors can be bought at home pro and similar and are mostly very inexpensive. I put 2 protectors over the original plastic. The feel / noise of the original plastic is gone. As said you can take the protector(s) to the next place.