Australian Aged Pension

[Olmate]

26 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

 

I hope this doesn't spread and becomes to; returning former residents have a 2 year waiting period before they can receive the Age Pension.

Yes, Gotta admire(not)the GM response.. 'well its a lifelong payment we are giving you'!! 

[Will27]

53 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

 

I hope this doesn't spread and becomes to; returning former residents have a 2 year waiting period before they can receive the Age Pension.

Image it wouldn't differentiate.

 

My mate waited 6 months last year to get his approved and it was a basic application.

 

I haven't read the article but hard to see how anyone can defend that long a waiting period.

[scorecard]

51 minutes ago, Will27 said:

Image it wouldn't differentiate.

 

My mate waited 6 months last year to get his approved and it was a basic application.

 

I haven't read the article but hard to see how anyone can defend that long a waiting period.

 

Centrelink senior staff admit that they are short staffed and that's the problem, not a policy to make people wait. the snr guy mentioned that they continue to enhance the computerised processing of OAP applications and yesterday I read 3,000 new staff have been recruited and are in training for the parts of the processing which are handled by people (in the Canberra HO).

 

 

 

I returned to OZ about 4 years back, went to local C'link office day after I arrived:

- Got a CRN (Centrelink personal reference number).

- Successfully completed the ID check.

- Local polite / organized C'link officer did a verbal scan of my hand completed 2 OAP application forms and said  'all completed, you need to go ahead and submit, would you prefer to do that at home via e.mail or do your want me to submit to Canberra right now using our office big multi purpose machine?'

I asked her to submit for me at local office. She put the printed application docs in the big machine feeder and it was submitted to Canberra within just a few seconds. Then about 3 or 4 seconds later the same machine gave a printed a numbered receipt (and with my  CRN number). 

 

This is about 4 years back. I got a phone call from Canberra 17 days (yes 17 days later), polite young man telling me my OAP was approved at the full rate. He mentioned that I would get a special delivery letter the next morning with full details and before lunch time the next day the backpay would be in my Aussie bank account. Letter and bank deposit did come next day as mentioned by the C'link officer. 

 

I have an old aussie friend in Adelaide (not involved in the 2 year return etc.), he's been back several times to the local big Centrelink office, same answer 'about 5 months', he's asked several times if he can request that his OAP claim be processed at the local suburban office. Same answer every time, processing now cannot be be processed at local office, must be submitted online to Canberra HO, it can be submitted by the applicant by e.mail with the 2 application forms attached or staff at local Centrelink office can submit it online using their local office multi functional equipment. About 15 Feb local Centrelink told him waiting time because of the backlog and lack of staff in canberra HO is about 5 months.

 

For years the processing time has been a roller coaster, I was super lucky. 

[Will27]

4 hours ago, Olmate said:

From AU Current Affair... 5months  wait to apply OAP

Luckily you can apply 13 weeks early.

 

Five months is still unacceptable though.

[Olmate]

4 minutes ago, Will27 said:

Luckily you can apply 13 weeks early.

 

Five months is still unacceptable though.

Too right, its not as if its not expected, easy enough to predict from tax data who is eligible in coming years. Was 2 weeks mine I recall 10 yrs back, ditto many friends.

[Artisi]

4 hours ago, Olmate said:

From AU Current Affair... 5months  wait to apply OAP

Sounds like bullsh1t to me. 

[Will27]

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/feb/14/centrelink-call-centre-performance-aged-pension-claims-services-australia-new-staff

[Olmate]

3 hours ago, Artisi said:

Sounds like bullsh1t to me. 

Which bit seems like BS? 

[rhodie]

I have a friend with very little in the way of assets, so should be a simple application, submitted on the 10th November last year and has not heard back.

[4MyEgo]

15 hours ago, rhodie said:

I have a friend with very little in the way of assets, so should be a simple application, submitted on the 10th November last year and has not heard back.

 

Sometimes it not the staffs fault, it's managements.

 

Been there, done that. I remember being a contractor for the NAB, I was required to do no more than 30 requests per day, I was getting 250 per day at times, desktop phone wouldn't stop ringing, I soon learnt how to take it and leave it off the hook. National General Manager flew in one day to see what's going on as there were a few complaint's so to speak.

 

He asked how things were going, trying to get a gist of things, I said, watch, as I put the desktop phone handle back onto the phone and showed him my daily screen of requests, his eyes lit up and said let's go for a coffee.

 

Went for a coffee, he said, how many are you doing a day, I said, about double +, he said do you think you could ramp it up, I said, I am already ramping it up and doing 4 hours O/T a day, I'm burnt out as it is, he said our budget doesn't allow for more staff, with my reply being, well, I will keep doing what I am doing, but I'm not cutting any corners because if it hits the fan (risk factor), I will end up wearing it, so I can understand what the staff at HO Canberra are going through.

 

I threw the towel in a month later, burnt myself out and the manager was up my rear end and everyone else's (permanent staffs), and then one day, he had a go at me in front of everyone, when I simply turned around and said, you don't talk to me like that, I am not staff, why don't you spend more time in the office helping out everyone instead of spending your time on the golf course with your mates higher up, every knows what's going on, besides, now you've got more reason to spend it in the office helping everyone out because I quit. Not long after, I heard 2 more staff left before the ship went under.   

 

I wonder if their budget went up to employ more people, not to mention how long it would take them to be trained to do the work competently. 

 

 

[Nemises]

Last night the Senate passed some new tax legislation
 

Surprisingly there was nothing passed about tax changes for pensioners living abroad.  

Appears our resident scare monger got it all horribly wrong. 
 

Or maybe it’s on tonight’s Senate agenda … 🙃

[Olmate]

 Yeah.. Nah..! Money from this new tax on  us fewexpats will be funding the whole turnout! And I,m Paul Hogan! 

[KhunHeineken]

4 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

 

Sometimes it not the staffs fault, it's managements.

 

Been there, done that. I remember being a contractor for the NAB, I was required to do no more than 30 requests per day, I was getting 250 per day at times, desktop phone wouldn't stop ringing, I soon learnt how to take it and leave it off the hook. National General Manager flew in one day to see what's going on as there were a few complaint's so to speak.

 

He asked how things were going, trying to get a gist of things, I said, watch, as I put the desktop phone handle back onto the phone and showed him my daily screen of requests, his eyes lit up and said let's go for a coffee.

 

Went for a coffee, he said, how many are you doing a day, I said, about double +, he said do you think you could ramp it up, I said, I am already ramping it up and doing 4 hours O/T a day, I'm burnt out as it is, he said our budget doesn't allow for more staff, with my reply being, well, I will keep doing what I am doing, but I'm not cutting any corners because if it hits the fan (risk factor), I will end up wearing it, so I can understand what the staff at HO Canberra are going through.

 

I threw the towel in a month later, burnt myself out and the manager was up my rear end and everyone else's (permanent staffs), and then one day, he had a go at me in front of everyone, when I simply turned around and said, you don't talk to me like that, I am not staff, why don't you spend more time in the office helping out everyone instead of spending your time on the golf course with your mates higher up, every knows what's going on, besides, now you've got more reason to spend it in the office helping everyone out because I quit. Not long after, I heard 2 more staff left before the ship went under.   

 

I wonder if their budget went up to employ more people, not to mention how long it would take them to be trained to do the work competently. 

 

 

Same budget allocated for staff, but the call center moved to India or The Philippine and they hired triple the amount of staff for the same money.   

[KhunHeineken]

1 hour ago, Nemises said:

Last night the Senate passed some new tax legislation
 

Surprisingly there was nothing passed about tax changes for pensioners living abroad.  

Appears our resident scare monger got it all horribly wrong. 
 

Or maybe it’s on tonight’s Senate agenda … 🙃

So the Stage 3 tax cuts are passed the Senate and you declare the proposed changes to the 90 year old current tax residency laws are dead in the water. 

[KhunHeineken]

49 minutes ago, Olmate said:

 Yeah.. Nah..! Money from this new tax on  us fewexpats will be funding the whole turnout! And I,m Paul Hogan! 

1 million is a "few" is it?

 

Of course, they are only after one guy in that 1 million, Paul Hogan. 

 

https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/before-you-go/activities/living-overseas#:~:text=At any time%2C there are,travellers for a great start!

 

"At any time, there are around one million Australians living and working overseas."

 

[Olmate]

2 minutes ago, KhunHeineken said:

So the Stage 3 tax cuts are passed the Senate and you declare the proposed changes to the 90 year old current tax residency laws are dead in the water. 

Come in spinner!!! 

[KhunHeineken]

On 2/27/2024 at 3:22 AM, Artisi said:

Sounds like bullsh1t to me. 

Watch it yourself.

 

https://9now.nine.com.au/a-current-affair/centrelink-customers-claim-they-are-being-hung-up-on-as-delays-stretch-out-to-months/ffedf397-cde1-4ad6-9b08-1289671193cd#:~:text=General Manager of Services Australia,to get on the pension.&text="Look%2C age pension is a,have all the information validated."

[KhunHeineken]

4 minutes ago, Olmate said:

Come in spinner!!! 

Oh, so you now agree the proposed changes are in the mail. 

[KhunHeineken]

The Australian government wants you to die working. 

 

 

https://www.aph.gov.au/about_parliament/parliamentary_departments/parliamentary_library/pubs/rp/budgetreview201415/pensioners#:~:text=The Labor Government introduced measures,2025 until it reaches 70.

 

"The 2014–15 Budget confirmed speculation that the qualifying age for the Age Pension will be raised to 70 by 2035. The current qualifying age is 65. The Labor Government introduced measures in 2009 to increase the pension age to 67 through gradual increases during the period July 2017 to July 2023.[1] The proposal contained in the 2014–15 Budget is to continue to increase the pension age by six months every two years from 1 July 2025 until it reaches 70. The measure does not affect this Budget and is intended to help address the impact an ageing population will have on government finances in the long term."

[KhunHeineken]

On 2/23/2024 at 11:14 AM, Will27 said:

A bit like the residency rules for the ATO.

 

Everyone's circumstances are different.

Which is exactly why the residency rules will change. 

 

They are designed to exclude "everyone's circumstances" and simply will be based on physical presence and time. 

 

No ifs, not buts, no reviews, no appeals.  It comes down to where were you, and for how long - that's it. 

[KhunHeineken]

On 2/21/2024 at 11:39 PM, 4MyEgo said:

Unfortunately the Australia Government, be it the ATO or whoever, just love it when we in one way or another say we are leaving home, e.g. ATO, oh is that so, well have a great time, just remember to pay 32.5% on everything you earn from Australia, plus your 10% withholding tax on interest, don't worry, we will make sure you can't vote as well, and cancel your Medicare when you have been out of the country for 5 years continuously and don't bother trying to claim anything to reduce your tax liabilities, because we won't allow you.

 

ATO continues, ah yes, you wanted to leave the lucky country and not accept things for the way they are, you know things like high interest rates, excessive rents, and then there is the cost of living, oh well, enjoy your new life while everyone else suffers 😍. 

I agree with your summary.

 

The sad thing is, you work all of your life and pay all of that income tax, with a lot that tax revenue going to people who have never even worked  day in their life, and just because your decide to live overseas, you are financially punished and lose entitlements.   

[Nemises]

56 minutes ago, KhunHeineken said:

So the Stage 3 tax cuts are passed the Senate and you declare the proposed changes to the 90 year old current tax residency laws are dead in the water. 

proposed changes to the 90 year old current tax residency laws

They obviously won’t be happening this year, so does that mean you will stop the scaremongering until next year?  Or will the prophet of doom rack up another 600+ posts continually banging-on about what might happen one day? 

[KhunHeineken]

8 minutes ago, Nemises said:

They obviously won’t be happening this year,

Why do you say that? 

 

I could accept your comment after the May budget, but not before. 

 

Aren't we past the "scaremongering" label for the proposed changes?  The current Labor government is running with them, and given it was the previous Liberal government who proposed them, who is going to vote them down?  

 

It's just a matter of time before they are passed, by either political party who puts them to parliament. 

[Lacessit]

2 minutes ago, Nemises said:

proposed changes to the 90 year old current tax residency laws

They obviously won’t be happening this year, so does that mean you will stop the scaremongering until next year?  Or will the prophet of doom rack up another 600+ posts continually banging-on about what might happen one day? 

The law is quite clear. If you are in Thailand for more than 180 days in a calendar year, you are a Thai tax resident.

If your income is taxed in Thailand, the DTA with Australia means the ATO cannot tax you, and they have said so themselves.

Here it is again, for those people with short attention spans.

[KhunHeineken]

1 minute ago, Lacessit said:

The law is quite clear. If you are in Thailand for more than 180 days in a calendar year, you are a Thai tax resident.

If your income is taxed in Thailand, the DTA with Australia means the ATO cannot tax you, and they have said so themselves.

Here it is again, for those people with short attention spans.

Conveniently didn't mention Australia is currently updating ALL of its tax treaties with over 40 countries, some of which set out Australia,as the source country, has taxing rights on pensions, but hey, why consider the future?

[Olmate]

1 hour ago, KhunHeineken said:

Oh, so you now agree the proposed changes are in the mail. 

 So you dont play 2up!! Figures. !!  To your reply.Yep.... In the junk folder to be precise! lol

[4MyEgo]

16 hours ago, Nemises said:

Appears our resident scare monger got it all horribly wrong. 

 

We keep leading him to water, but..........

 

Maybe he will find his own way and enter the water (deep end) unbeknown to him after taking one step ends up in deep and starts screaming help, help, help, with no one coming, until, just maybe until, he says "I was WRONG".......then maybe, just maybe someone will gives a rats a$$ and save him, but, easier to just turn a blind eye, as a dog doesn't change it's spots, does it ?

[Olmate]

Bit extra in the kick soon😄

[KhunHeineken]

On 3/4/2024 at 3:59 AM, Olmate said:

Bit extra in the kick soon😄

The Thai government will be happy with this news. A bit more in their kick as well.  Why would the Australian government seek to stop donating to a foreign government?   

[Olmate]

18 minutes ago, KhunHeineken said:

The Thai government will be happy with this news. A bit more in their kick as well.  Why would the Australian government seek to stop donating to a foreign government?   

Humour is your best attribute,we are happy you,ve been gone, keep us happy!