Aussie Minister wants Aussies in trouble overseas to pay for government's help

[MK1]

If this proposed ‘User-Pays’ system for consular services does eventuates, then this should fairly justify the reasoning for the appointment of a paid Consulate Representative to be established in Phuket in the end, supported by actual paid staff, rather than the previous intention to just appoint a replacement in an Honorary (voluntary-type) capacity.

Edited January 5, 2014 by MK1

[tingtongteesood]

I think anyone who gets caught in trouble due to their own stupidity should be made to pay for the rescue, always ! If there really was nothing they could have done to avoid it, that is another matter entirely. But sometimes it can be very hard to judge without all the relevant facts...

[Time Traveller]

Don't we pay fees already? When you need a new passport you pay a fee. When you need them to stamp a document, you pay a fee. (And not small either). What else do they do?

Pretty sure that if you were "in trouble overseas" a lawyer or a doctor would be important, but a bumbling public servant is not.

Maybe Australians are just idiots, or milking the system, but why would you ever request help from the government when private industries provide much better service?

Edited January 5, 2014 by Time Traveller

[darhut]

Don't we pay fees already? When you need a new passport you pay a fee. When you need them to stamp a document, you pay a fee. (And not small either). What else do they do?

Pretty sure that if you were "in trouble overseas" a lawyer or a doctor would be important, but a bumbling public servant is not.

Maybe Australians are just idiots, or milking the system, but why would you ever request help from the government when private industries provide much better service?

I never knew lawyers and doctors supplied financial assistance Time Traveller.

[theslime]

Australian Government Aid is it, well you were really exposed to the after work piss ups, I needed help from our consulate and all I got was misinformed info. The absolute joke besides being asked if I had a tv in my cell, was when the acting consul told me she would send me some goodies for Christmas this was on 22nd Decenber, I didn,t see anybody till early Febuary. My fault for believing her and getting my hopes up. If it was meant as persecution its was pretty sick. So it wont matter if they make you pay as they do <deleted> all anyway.

[Time Traveller]

Don't we pay fees already? When you need a new passport you pay a fee. When you need them to stamp a document, you pay a fee. (And not small either). What else do they do?

Pretty sure that if you were "in trouble overseas" a lawyer or a doctor would be important, but a bumbling public servant is not.

Maybe Australians are just idiots, or milking the system, but why would you ever request help from the government when private industries provide much better service?

I never knew lawyers and doctors supplied financial assistance Time Traveller.

I never knew the consulates supplied financial assistance either.

[theslime]

Don't we pay fees already? When you need a new passport you pay a fee. When you need them to stamp a document, you pay a fee. (And not small either). What else do they do?

Pretty sure that if you were "in trouble overseas" a lawyer or a doctor would be important, but a bumbling public servant is not.

Maybe Australians are just idiots, or milking the system, but why would you ever request help from the government when private industries provide much better service?

I never knew lawyers and doctors supplied financial assistance Time Traveller.

I never knew the consulates supplied financial assistance either.

If your in trouble your on your own, they can,t tell you to see a Lawyer or even opin. They give you a list of Lawyers to choose from and the wise would take the name at the top of the list, which, no doubt as In my case, were the Lawyers the Consulate uses.

[roiethome]

The British Embassy does not give handouts to those who get themselves into trouble, so why should Australia be any different.

Trouble is that some people think the State will always be their safety net.

[paz]

I'm not Australian but from what I know what happens in most other Western countries is that financial help, in form of return tickets, medical bills, is given only as a loan, and being this the gov.t. is easy for them to be be strict on re-payoment, garmishing incomes etc.

I would be surprised to learn that Aus. was different in that sense and gave truly free help in the past.

On a slightly differen subject, I understand that Australia has a policy of not paying ransom for their own citizens, compare to the poor sod held captive for years in the philippines where he was married he living peacefully.

[chooka]

I think anyone who gets caught in trouble due to their own stupidity should be made to pay for the rescue, always ! If there really was nothing they could have done to avoid it, that is another matter entirely. But sometimes it can be very hard to judge without all the relevant facts...

Agree.

Then you have people like the Syrian-Australian who came to Australia as an asylum seeker, eventually granted citizenship and then goes back to Syria to fight as a jihadist (Terrorist and enemy of the coalition) finds himself dead as a direct result of his own actions and then the family back in Australia expect the tax payer to pick up the tab to have his body returned to Australia.

[Time Traveller]

If your in trouble your on your own, they can,t tell you to see a Lawyer or even opin. They give you a list of Lawyers to choose from and the wise would take the name at the top of the list, which, no doubt as In my case, were the Lawyers the Consulate uses.

So what exactly is it that the Australian government is wanting people to pay for then?

Another poster said they give out loans, so by definition they get their money back? I doubt that there is anything to these comments that relates to monetary loss to the government and is more likely about the Australian diplomats fear about losing face. Like when the Australian Ambassador has to go begging to the Thai Navy to drop defamation charges against the Australian newspaper publisher in Phuket.

But if they make it sound like Australians will be out of pocket, they hope there will be less of these embarrassing incidents. If the Government were really worried about costs, then they would just cut services, it's that easy. These news stories are never what they seem.

Edited January 7, 2014 by Time Traveller

[harrry]

Maybe we could apply the user pays principle to the Trade activities. That way we may have less selling the farm.

[simple1]

Don't we pay fees already? When you need a new passport you pay a fee. When you need them to stamp a document, you pay a fee. (And not small either). What else do they do?

Pretty sure that if you were "in trouble overseas" a lawyer or a doctor would be important, but a bumbling public servant is not.

Maybe Australians are just idiots, or milking the system, but why would you ever request help from the government when private industries provide much better service?

I never knew lawyers and doctors supplied financial assistance Time Traveller.

I never knew the consulates supplied financial assistance either.

If your in trouble your on your own, they can,t tell you to see a Lawyer or even opin. They give you a list of Lawyers to choose from and the wise would take the name at the top of the list, which, no doubt as In my case, were the Lawyers the Consulate uses.

Have to say if I was a consular official I would not recommend a particular lawyer or provide an opinion that could be tracked electronically. You can imagine if opinion/lawyer's services did not meet expected outcome/s. Australian government would be sued, consular officials harrased, vilified etc

[harrry]

I never knew the consulates supplied financial assistance either.

If your in trouble your on your own, they can,t tell you to see a Lawyer or even opin. They give you a list of Lawyers to choose from and the wise would take the name at the top of the list, which, no doubt as In my case, were the Lawyers the Consulate uses.

Have to say if I was a consular official I would not recommend a particular lawyer or provide an opinion that could be tracked electronically. You can imagine if opinion/lawyer's services did not meet expected outcome/s. Australian government would be sued, consular officials harrased, vilified etc

They do not. The list is a random list. The people on it are self nominated and no checking on their abilities or otherwise is done by the embassy.

[simple1]

If your in trouble your on your own, they can,t tell you to see a Lawyer or even opin. They give you a list of Lawyers to choose from and the wise would take the name at the top of the list, which, no doubt as In my case, were the Lawyers the Consulate uses.

Have to say if I was a consular official I would not recommend a particular lawyer or provide an opinion that could be tracked electronically. You can imagine if opinion/lawyer's services did not meet expected outcome/s. Australian government would be sued, consular officials harrased, vilified etc

They do not. The list is a random list. The people on it are self nominated and no checking on their abilities or otherwise is done by the embassy.

I know and what I was saying, perhaps not clearly enough, I can understand why

[BSJ]

People with travel insurance should be given consular help without question. Idiot's and shit bag Greenpiss employees should pay or get their employers to foot the bills.

I think it does no good to run down the people who work at the embassy. After all they are working to a set of rules brought into being by politician's in Canberra.

[MK1]

As per post #44 by simple1, I agree in part your legal case could perhaps be tracked or even to the extent that at commission be collected for referral to Lawyer outside of the embassy. However, I doubt you could sue the embassy for services that did not meet your expected outcome because of being referred to or provided a list of Lawyers to choose from outside of the embassy because effectively they’re transferring all of the risks shared between you and to the Lawyer you choose to run with in the end.

[paz]

If you cant afford travel insurance, you cant afford to travel.

If you are just and idiot and want to get in trouble (recklessly) in another country, I dont want to have to pay to support your foolishness.

Insurance does not cover every possible sitaution, and have many exclusions. Not all those that are in trouble are foolish.

[paz]

I think anyone who gets caught in trouble due to their own stupidity should be made to pay for the rescue, always ! If there really was nothing they could have done to avoid it, that is another matter entirely. But sometimes it can be very hard to judge without all the relevant facts...

Agree.

Then you have people like the Syrian-Australian who came to Australia as an asylum seeker, eventually granted citizenship and then goes back to Syria to fight as a jihadist (Terrorist and enemy of the coalition) finds himself dead as a direct result of his own actions and then the family back in Australia expect the tax payer to pick up the tab to have his body returned to Australia.

Beside that these people have nothing to do with the subject, I find a little hard to believe that a Syrian insurgent really wants his dead body in Australia, a non-muslim country. You can should check a couple facts on what you call "the coalition", that is the merciless Hussain family dicatorship, backed up by Russia.

Anyway, citizenship acquired by naturalization can be revoked on various grounds, Australia gov.t can do that at at time.

[simple1]

I think anyone who gets caught in trouble due to their own stupidity should be made to pay for the rescue, always ! If there really was nothing they could have done to avoid it, that is another matter entirely. But sometimes it can be very hard to judge without all the relevant facts...

Agree.

Then you have people like the Syrian-Australian who came to Australia as an asylum seeker, eventually granted citizenship and then goes back to Syria to fight as a jihadist (Terrorist and enemy of the coalition) finds himself dead as a direct result of his own actions and then the family back in Australia expect the tax payer to pick up the tab to have his body returned to Australia.

Got a link to that news story?