Living it up on the Pension

[ThaiItAgain]

I didnt think you could get the pension outside australia.

. So if you have worked in Australia and paid taxes all your life you can not choose to retire abroad. Even the scamming politicians in the UK aren't that bad.

You're absolutely right about that! but it serves to remember that Australia was founded on a convict bases. Governor Bligh is not dead along with all his cronies.

Australia is still a penal colony, it can only think PEANALTY the difference is nowadays that the prisoners are more educated, don't ware visible chains and slightly more sophisticated. but the overall governmental philosophy is "how can we not give the people what they need and what they want" and for those who are responsible for running the country it appears that their motto is (no matter which party reigns) "how can we give ourselves that very best of life whilst we are in government and how can we ensure that we keep the PERKS going once we are out of government" As for the pensioners!, well in the past when a prisoner got to old to work, or no longer are able to contribute then they were killed off or fed to the sharks. now days, the old prisoners get the chance to leave the country. some with the meagre pension that is offered and many that want to leave are not allowed for greater than 16 weeks or their pension stops. YES, your are right in your comments....... Sounds disgraceful!

[giddyup]

I didnt think you could get the pension outside australia.

Sounds disgraceful. So if you have worked in Australia and paid taxes all your life you can not choose to retire abroad. Even the scamming politicians in the UK aren't that bad.

That's misinformation. You can retire overseas but like everything, there are certain criteria that must be met. Apparently, there is about 72,000 in receipt of various pensions, residing overseas, mostly in Europe but others scattered throughout various countries.

I think one misinformed person said that the Aussie pension wasn't portable, and people seem to have become fixated on that false statement, and it doesn't matter how many times you try to correct the mistake, there's always someone who keeps repeating the bullsh*t. I have been here over 6 years collecting the aged pension, as do thousands of others.

[giddyup]

I didnt think you could get the pension outside australia.

. So if you have worked in Australia and paid taxes all your life you can not choose to retire abroad. Even the scamming politicians in the UK aren't that bad.

You're absolutely right about that! but it serves to remember that Australia was founded on a convict bases. Governor Bligh is not dead along with all his cronies.

Australia is still a penal colony, it can only think PEANALTY the difference is nowadays that the prisoners are more educated, don't ware visible chains and slightly more sophisticated. but the overall governmental philosophy is "how can we not give the people what they need and what they want" and for those who are responsible for running the country it appears that their motto is (no matter which party reigns) "how can we give ourselves that very best of life whilst we are in government and how can we ensure that we keep the PERKS going once we are out of government" As for the pensioners!, well in the past when a prisoner got to old to work, or no longer are able to contribute then they were killed off or fed to the sharks. now days, the old prisoners get the chance to leave the country. some with the meagre pension that is offered and many that want to leave are not allowed for greater than 16 weeks or their pension stops. YES, your are right in your comments....... Sounds disgraceful!

WRONG! You can get the pension outside Australia. Stop repeating the bullsh*t.

[ThaiItAgain]

New rulings from Centrelink is that if you return to Australia and are there fro 6 months or more then YOU are re assessed and you come under then new pensioner rules ice your eligibility to the pension is re assed your working life is re valued to fall in line with current policy and that might mean that you work to 70 providing that you are not over 70 already, that your working life is greater than 30 years not 25 years (as it was to get the full pension) and that your current assets levels determine just how much you will get anyways.

[JimHuaHin]

These replies are only partially accurate. I'm going through the process at the moment. Here's how it really works. If you have an Australian Working Life Residency of 35 years or more (AWLR is calculated from the day you turn 16 to the day you reach pension age and you do not have to actually be working during this time), you only need to be resident in Australia when you apply for the pension and whilst it is being approved. Once you receive your written advice from Centrelink confirming approval and your first pension payment has been deposited into your Australian bank account, you are then free to move OS permanently. Because you have an AWLR of 35+ years you will receive the full BASE pension but only the BASE Age Supplement. (The current rate for the BASE Pension and Base Age Supplement is AUD $402.00 per week for a single person). On the other hand, if you have been living outside Australia more than you have in Australia over the years preceding your pension age being reached, then you will need to live in Australia for 2 years from your pension date before your pension becomes portable and then you can live wherever you want. I have a mate who has been living in Thailand 6 months a year and in Oz 6 months a year for the last 10 years. He reaches pension age in July. He has to live in Australia for 2 years before he can take his pension with him when he returns to Thailand permanently. In my case, I was in Thailand for 7 months from Oct 2014 - end of April 2015. The 2 year rule does not affect me. I am back in Thailand, but will be returning to Oz in mid-June ( I reach pension age in July). I will have to only be resident in Australia, once I return, until my pension is approved and the first payment is in my aussie bank account, then I free to leave permanently and receive the pension in Thailand, until the day I depart this world. The AWLR will still apply though. So if you have an AWLR of say 28 years, then you would divide the $402 by 35 and multiply by 28 to calculate your part pension. $402/35*28 = $321.60 per week. Pension rates are reviewed every March & September, but for those who are permanently overseas they are reviewed quarterly. Also the pension is only paid every 4 weeks if you are overseas and if you wish Centrelink will pay the pension directly into your OS bank account. They will remit in the currency of the country you are living in or USD. They use the Reserve Bank exchange rate on the day of remitting and no fees are charged by Centrelink. However, your OS bank will most likely deduct a small fee when the transfer is credited to your account. A small trap to be aware of that I have yet to confirm, is that in Thailand your bank may deduct income tax from the transfer amount as they consider regular payments of this nature to be income. This would then mean having to lodge a tax return in Thailand if this turns out to be correct.

Thank you for your comprehensive reply.

I have friends back in Australia jumping through the hoops now.

Before I left Australia 2 years ago, I had lunch with a former student who is a Centrelink regional manager/director. She knew that I was retiring overseas to live and I expressed my extreme distaste with the new aged pension requirements. She knew that I was born in Australia, as were my parents and grandparents,a nd that I had been a resident of Australia all my life and had been paying Australian taxes for 40 years.

I expressed how I thought it unAustralian for someone like me, who had decided to move overseas to live, but still paid taxes on investment income in Australia, and that I would not be making any demands on Australia's health care system, transportation systems, or any Australian resources, such as food, etc. would be denied an age pension.

Retirees in Australia place demands on all Australia's resources and many public services, but overseas retirees do not, so why should we be discriminated against when we are actually reducing the public burden on Australian resources?

In essence, we overseas retirees place fewer demands on Australia than Australia-based retirees, so why should be denied a pension and why should we be discriminated against?

Although she agreed with me, she replied, as I knew, all policies come from Canberra.

With respect to Viet Nam - I had planned to retire there or Thailand. Viet Nam was a better choice for me, as over 40 years I had spent more time there than in Thailand, and can read, write and speak Vietnamese. However, as some of my friends (including Vietnamese doctors and nurses) in Viet Nam pointed out, the Vietnamese health care system is crap; Vietnamese people who have the money go to Thailand, SIngapore or Taiwan for health care.

If I was healthier, I would be living in Viet Nam, not Thailand.

[Jimbob1]

I have been a disability pensioner in Oz now since '86 .... have been many changes since then and at present I am only allowed out of the country 4 weeks in a 12 month period ...

I have been married to a Thai now for 8 years and I still have 2 years to wait to get my age pension so we can travel together and stay longer than a month to see family in Thailand ... Despicable!!

My philosophy in life now is to never lie, cheat, steal, deceive because I know the government HATES competition

[ThaiItAgain]

hey giddyup!

is your pension portable ?

[giddyup]

JimHuaHin

Why would you be denied an Aussie pension if you met the criteria?

[giddyup]

hey giddyup!

is your pension portable ?

Read my posts.

[Si Thea01]

Be interested to know what rate you'd get sending the money in Thai Baht. I made the mistake once of transferring my money from Oz to Thailand in Baht and the rate was nowhere near as good as I could have got here. You are going to have to stipulate what currency you want your money sent, you can't chop and choose each month. You mentioned US dollars before, so what have you decided on?

It's always best to send money from Australian banks to Thailand in Australian dollars. If you send it in baht, you are subject to what's called Dynamic Currency Conversion, which is the technical term for legalised theft.

I have an investment account in Oz and never ever send baht, always Oz dollars. I use internet banking with Westpac and it cost me $20.00 (B530.00) a transfer but this cost in applicable from $1.00 to $20,000.00. As Westpac has no association with my bank, the funds are forwarded to an intermediary bank, in this case, Citibank, who then exchange the dollar to baht.

They get their chop with the exchange rate, how much I have no idea but from what I can deduce I get about B0.45 per dollar less than the actual exchange rate. My bank then takes it's little chop, transferring from Bangkok to the regional province where I reside. This equates anywhere from B150 to B180, depending on the amount sent.

I think the banks, who over the years have suffered at the hands of bank robbers, who were either gaoled or hung, have now found a way to become the robber, without the worry of any such consequences. So yes, you are so right, legalised theft.

[Si Thea01]

I have been a disability pensioner in Oz now since '86 .... have been many changes since then and at present I am only allowed out of the country 4 weeks in a 12 month period ...

I have been married to a Thai now for 8 years and I still have 2 years to wait to get my age pension so we can travel together and stay longer than a month to see family in Thailand ... Despicable!!

My philosophy in life now is to never lie, cheat, steal, deceive because I know the government HATES competition

How long do you think is a reasonable time to remain outside the country and still receive your pension, if you're not an expat and continue to reside in Oz? Unfortunately, the government has had to bring in restrictions owing to people on this type of pension rorting the system. Not saying you are and I don't know how disabled you are but for you to be in receipt of this pension since 1986, it must be serious. Now if this is the case, how are you able to travel more than the 4 weeks in a year that you are now allowed?

[ThaiItAgain]

These replies are only partially accurate. I'm going through the process at the moment. Here's how it really works. If you have an Australian Working Life Residency of 35 years or more (AWLR is calculated from the day you turn 16 to the day you reach pension age and you do not have to actually be working during this time), you only need to be resident in Australia when you apply for the pension and whilst it is being approved. Once you receive your written advice from Centrelink confirming approval and your first pension payment has been deposited into your Australian bank account, you are then free to move OS permanently. Because you have an AWLR of 35+ years you will receive the full BASE pension but only the BASE Age Supplement. (The current rate for the BASE Pension and Base Age Supplement is AUD $402.00 per week for a single person). On the other hand, if you have been living outside Australia more than you have in Australia over the years preceding your pension age being reached, then you will need to live in Australia for 2 years from your pension date before your pension becomes portable and then you can live wherever you want. I have a mate who has been living in Thailand 6 months a year and in Oz 6 months a year for the last 10 years. He reaches pension age in July. He has to live in Australia for 2 years before he can take his pension with him when he returns to Thailand permanently. In my case, I was in Thailand for 7 months from Oct 2014 - end of April 2015. The 2 year rule does not affect me. I am back in Thailand, but will be returning to Oz in mid-June ( I reach pension age in July). I will have to only be resident in Australia, once I return, until my pension is approved and the first payment is in my aussie bank account, then I free to leave permanently and receive the pension in Thailand, until the day I depart this world. The AWLR will still apply though. So if you have an AWLR of say 28 years, then you would divide the $402 by 35 and multiply by 28 to calculate your part pension. $402/35*28 = $321.60 per week. Pension rates are reviewed every March & September, but for those who are permanently overseas they are reviewed quarterly. Also the pension is only paid every 4 weeks if you are overseas and if you wish Centrelink will pay the pension directly into your OS bank account. They will remit in the currency of the country you are living in or USD. They use the Reserve Bank exchange rate on the day of remitting and no fees are charged by Centrelink. However, your OS bank will most likely deduct a small fee when the transfer is credited to your account. A small trap to be aware of that I have yet to confirm, is that in Thailand your bank may deduct income tax from the transfer amount as they consider regular payments of this nature to be income. This would then mean having to lodge a tax return in Thailand if this turns out to be correct.

Thank you for your comprehensive reply.

I have friends back in Australia jumping through the hoops now.

Before I left Australia 2 years ago, I had lunch with a former student who is a Centrelink regional manager/director. She knew that I was retiring overseas to live and I expressed my extreme distaste with the new aged pension requirements. She knew that I was born in Australia, as were my parents and grandparents,a nd that I had been a resident of Australia all my life and had been paying Australian taxes for 40 years.

I expressed how I thought it unAustralian for someone like me, who had decided to move overseas to live, but still paid taxes on investment income in Australia, and that I would not be making any demands on Australia's health care system, transportation systems, or any Australian resources, such as food, etc. would be denied an age pension.

Retirees in Australia place demands on all Australia's resources and many public services, but overseas retirees do not, so why should we be discriminated against when we are actually reducing the public burden on Australian resources?

In essence, we overseas retirees place fewer demands on Australia than Australia-based retirees, so why should be denied a pension and why should we be discriminated against?

Although she agreed with me, she replied, as I knew, all policies come from Canberra.

With respect to Viet Nam - I had planned to retire there or Thailand. Viet Nam was a better choice for me, as over 40 years I had spent more time there than in Thailand, and can read, write and speak Vietnamese. However, as some of my friends (including Vietnamese doctors and nurses) in Viet Nam pointed out, the Vietnamese health care system is crap; Vietnamese people who have the money go to Thailand, SIngapore or Taiwan for health care.

If I was healthier, I would be living in Viet Nam, not Thailand.

Just fro my clarification, Centrelink pay fortnightly so is that $321 per week or per fortnightly payment ? @ 321x 2 that is $642 per fortnight is that correct; is that what he you will receive?

[giddyup]

I have been a disability pensioner in Oz now since '86 .... have been many changes since then and at present I am only allowed out of the country 4 weeks in a 12 month period ...

I have been married to a Thai now for 8 years and I still have 2 years to wait to get my age pension so we can travel together and stay longer than a month to see family in Thailand ... Despicable!!

My philosophy in life now is to never lie, cheat, steal, deceive because I know the government HATES competition

How long do you think is a reasonable time to remain outside the country and still receive your pension, if you're not an expat and continue to reside in Oz? Unfortunately, the government has had to bring in restrictions owing to people on this type of pension rorting the system. Not saying you are and I don't know how disabled you are but for you to be in receipt of this pension since 1986, it must be serious. Now if this is the case, how are you able to travel more than the 4 weeks in a year that you are now allowed?

Before I think there was a 13 week maximum outside Oz for DSP's, and of course there were hundreds flying back to Australia every 13 weeks to satisfy Centrelink and then back to Thailand. It was a rort, pure and simple, but now the hole has been plugged.

[giddyup]

Just fro my clarification, Centrelink pay fortnightly so is that $321 per week or per fortnightly payment ? @ 321x 2 that is $642 per fortnight is that correct; is that what he you will receive?

$642 a fortnight is the maximum, assuming you have no other income like bank interest, superannuation etc, and if you are overseas it's paid monthly, not fortnightly.

[wazzadg44]

I have been living in Phuket for over 5 years,I am on a Australian Aged Pension,am aged 70.I get paid $749 per fortnight,paid into my Australian bank a/c every fortnight.I return to Australia 2 times a year,bring back the money in my a/c and exchange it on the street here-better rate than any bank and you can take advantage of fluctuating rates by holding back some cash.I have a letter from C/link that tells me that as an Australian citizen resident overseas,I am entitled to the pension for life.

[giddyup]

I have been living in Phuket for over 5 years,I am on a Australian Aged Pension,am aged 70.I get paid $749 per fortnight,paid into my Australian bank a/c every fortnight.I return to Australia 2 times a year,bring back the money in my a/c and exchange it on the street here-better rate than any bank and you can take advantage of fluctuating rates by holding back some cash.I have a letter from C/link that tells me that as an Australian citizen resident overseas,I am entitled to the pension for life.

Centrelink must assume that Australia is still your main residence because if you are living overseas the pension is paid monthly, not fortnightly.

[mikiea]

I didnt think you could get the pension outside australia.

Sounds disgraceful. So if you have worked in Australia and paid taxes all your life you can not choose to retire abroad. Even the scamming politicians in the UK aren't that bad.

hennery dude , it is called freedom , you being from china do not understand the concept of ownership of what you have earned . good luck with that when you retire .

[giddyup]

I didnt think you could get the pension outside australia.

Sounds disgraceful. So if you have worked in Australia and paid taxes all your life you can not choose to retire abroad. Even the scamming politicians in the UK aren't that bad.

hennery dude , it is called freedom , you being from china do not understand the concept of ownership of what you have earned . good luck with that when you retire .

WRONG! You can get the pension outside Australia. Stop repeating the bullsh*t. I'll keep repeating it until it sinks in.

[tharae]

I didnt think you could get the pension outside australia.

Sounds disgraceful. So if you have worked in Australia and paid taxes all your life you can not choose to retire abroad. Even the scamming politicians in the UK aren't that bad.

Yes you can get a Australian pension abroad, but first up is getting the pension, you cannot apply over here, you have to go back and live there for 2 years before you can get the pension, if you get the pension at 67 you must return at 65 and stay for 2 years.

After you are free to live overseas.

You can retire abroad but you have to be over 65 or 67 an like the above post, have been in Australia for 2 years before you go and cannot apply offshore. You lose some of your supplement money and after 25 weeks out of the country, if you have not lived in Australia for 35 years, you lose another supplement. It is pretty harsh in some ways and if you are under 65, you can only leave Australia now for 4 weeks of the year with a paid pension. After 4 weeks, you lose the pension and if out of the Country for 12 weeks and 1 day, you will have to reapply for the pension and be totally cut off.

I am 45 and on a Disability Pension and live in Thailand permanently. I had to apply for unlimited portability of my pension which is very hard to do as but my disability will never improve and I will never be able to work again. It took me 9 months to jump through all the hops but I was approved and in the end, moved to Thailand. My pension will never be able to be taken off me.

Australia is one of the toughest countries around on these rules for pensions.

Let's not confuse the Age Pension with Disability Pension, the later which is routinely rorted. Without knowing your circumstances, I wouldn't be too cocky about your pension never being taken off you either. Everyone on DSP is under review.

[Jimbob1]

I have been a disability pensioner in Oz now since '86 .... have been many changes since then and at present I am only allowed out of the country 4 weeks in a 12 month period ...

I have been married to a Thai now for 8 years and I still have 2 years to wait to get my age pension so we can travel together and stay longer than a month to see family in Thailand ... Despicable!!

My philosophy in life now is to never lie, cheat, steal, deceive because I know the government HATES competition

How long do you think is a reasonable time to remain outside the country and still receive your pension, if you're not an expat and continue to reside in Oz? Unfortunately, the government has had to bring in restrictions owing to people on this type of pension rorting the system. Not saying you are and I don't know how disabled you are but for you to be in receipt of this pension since 1986, it must be serious. Now if this is the case, how are you able to travel more than the 4 weeks in a year that you are now allowed?

Yes I am living in Oz with my wife and I was travelling to Thailand twice a year staying 6 weeks at a time but as of Jan''15 new rules only allow me 4 weeks in a 12 month period.

My wife has 3 daughters and grand children along with aging parents and 12 brothers and sisters that we were visiting and I don't consider that 2 trips a year were unreasonable.

There is a provision that we are able to travel for longer on compassionate grounds in case of a serious illness but what that means isn't at all clear or explained in reasonable language.

I jokingly asked my father-in-law to be on deaths bed 4 times within the next 2 years until my age pension comes into being ... lead balloon of course ....

[Si Thea01]

I have been living in Phuket for over 5 years,I am on a Australian Aged Pension,am aged 70.I get paid $749 per fortnight,paid into my Australian bank a/c every fortnight.I return to Australia 2 times a year,bring back the money in my a/c and exchange it on the street here-better rate than any bank and you can take advantage of fluctuating rates by holding back some cash.I have a letter from C/link that tells me that as an Australian citizen resident overseas,I am entitled to the pension for life.

Centrelink must assume that Australia is still your main residence because if you are living overseas the pension is paid monthly, not fortnightly.

You are quite right, the pension, if living in Australia, you main residence, is paid fortnightly, if overseas, after 12 months, it goes from fortnightly to monthly as you become what they classify as a non-resident. So how he is able to receive the pension fortnightly, and only return to Oz, twice a year, without ramifications, is beyond me. Maybe there is more to his storey than he cares to explain.

He is correct insofar as getting a pension for life, as his age dictates that, as it is outside the current changes being implemented. The only way he would not get it is if Oz started having problems like, Spain, Greece or Portugal. If single, then he should be on over $800.00, a fortnight, not what he is quoting now but that depends on his assets. If married then it will be slightly lower than the $800.00. Given he does not have the pension sent here, he must be either very frugal, a person with exceptional budgetary skills or has a source of income here. Who knows, only he does as it's his story.

[louse1953]

I didnt think you could get the pension outside australia.

No probs.just gotta jump through the hoops.

[louse1953]

I didnt think you could get the pension outside australia.

It depends on many factors, such as which country you move to, whether you received it before changes started (grandfathering), whether or not you had a sympathetic case officer, or if you have been receiving it for two years before moving.

A typical stuffed up, ever changing Government policy nightmare attacking the elderly.

One more reason to want to flee the place.

Few mistakes there Croc.Which country doesn't matter,only if non resident,you have to requalify by doing 2 long years penance and there are no sympathetic case officers.

[louse1953]

I didnt think you could get the pension outside australia.

Sounds disgraceful. So if you have worked in Australia and paid taxes all your life you can not choose to retire abroad. Even the scamming politicians in the UK aren't that bad.

Yes you can get a Australian pension abroad, but first up is getting the pension, you cannot apply over here, you have to go back and live there for 2 years before you can get the pension, if you get the pension at 67 you must return at 65 and stay for 2 years.

After you are free to live overseas.

Not quite right Nev,you can go back at 67,then do the 2 years.

[totally thaied up]

Replying to Tharae....

No, it is totally different (age and disability) and I am not rorting the system. You may not know the portability rules very well but I do after spending 9 months with my lawyer, 8 years ago setting up my application. I have been manifestly written off due to a rare form of schizophrenia. I have all the information to prove it (also 25 years of background medical records) and have not been under review now for 7 years. My JCA officer told me I would not be reviewed again. I am certainly not cocky as living with this particular disorder that I have is not easy.

I have been getting my payment here in Thailand for 7 years, every second week (put into my bank account in Australia) and withdrawn using Advance Cash Withdrawal (Citibank Card with no fees has saved me a fortune) while getting a very good Visa rate of exchange. I have other investments back in Australia. My life here in Thailand is unbelievably good.

[giddyup]

Replying to Tharae....

No, it is totally different (age and disability) and I am not rorting the system. You may not know the portability rules very well but I do after spending 9 months with my lawyer, 8 years ago setting up my application. I have been manifestly written off due to a rare form of schizophrenia. I have all the information to prove it (also 25 years of background medical records) and have not been under review now for 7 years. My JCA officer told me I would not be reviewed again. I am certainly not cocky as living with this particular disorder that I have is not easy.

I have been getting my payment here in Thailand for 7 years, every second week (put into my bank account in Australia) and withdrawn using Advance Cash Withdrawal (Citibank Card with no fees has saved me a fortune) while getting a very good Visa rate of exchange. I have other investments back in Australia. My life here in Thailand is unbelievably good.

Obviously the schizophrenia isn't preventing you from leading a normal life, ie managing investments, using internet banking etc, and I'm sure "living with this disorder" is made a hell of a lot easier by living in Thailand at the taxpayers expense. I wonder how it is you can function well enough to manage your life here, but not well enough to hold down a job?

Edited May 26, 2015 by giddyup

[F4UCorsair]

I didnt think you could get the pension outside australia.

Sounds disgraceful. So if you have worked in Australia and paid taxes all your life you can not choose to retire abroad. Even the scamming politicians in the UK aren't that bad.

Just give it time ! it won't be long before us Brits will be in the same boat ,disgusting !!!

Paying tax is not the same as contributing to a superannuation plan, and I'm referring particularly to Australia.

I paid tax, $200K+ pa for 20+ years, and will never get a cent in retirement because I also contributed to my own future via superannuation.

Based on the concep that paying tax gives an entitlement to a pension, because of my tax contribution I should be entitled to a greater pension than somebody who paid a lot less tax, but once again it's the lifters carrying the leaners.

It's an offensive concept that paying tax entitles a person to a pension for life. Tax is for government services not pensions.

Edited May 26, 2015 by F4UCorsair

[totally thaied up]

Replying to Tharae....

No, it is totally different (age and disability) and I am not rorting the system. You may not know the portability rules very well but I do after spending 9 months with my lawyer, 8 years ago setting up my application. I have been manifestly written off due to a rare form of schizophrenia. I have all the information to prove it (also 25 years of background medical records) and have not been under review now for 7 years. My JCA officer told me I would not be reviewed again. I am certainly not cocky as living with this particular disorder that I have is not easy.

I have been getting my payment here in Thailand for 7 years, every second week (put into my bank account in Australia) and withdrawn using Advance Cash Withdrawal (Citibank Card with no fees has saved me a fortune) while getting a very good Visa rate of exchange. I have other investments back in Australia. My life here in Thailand is unbelievably good.

Obviously the schizophrenia isn't preventing you from leading a normal life, ie managing investments, using internet banking etc.

I am (very) medicated now (have been for 9 years) and it works well. I lead a normal life but I suffer still daily from delusional thinking. I spent 25 years working for a mining company before I got sick to the point that I could not cope in the workforce. I was forced from my job as a Data Base Coder.

I am under a Trust in Australia, my investments are being looked after by a independent group (all helped by Centrelink). Only a certain amount of money gets put into my bank fortnightly, I am under the guise that I cannot spend anymore then that.

I am doing pretty well but my days are very, very regulated and my partner is very understanding. I have to generally do the same things at the same time most days. Very regimented. Like most with this illness, I am very intelligent but this often gets me into trouble as my belief set becomes delusional and I can make some pretty big mistakes (and believe me, I can).

Yes, I cope but it is a lot of work. When I do get sick, I have a good hospital that I can go to. My partner hires additional staff (nurses) on hand to keep me in tow. In reality, in Australia I cannot get as good a service.

[giddyup]

I didnt think you could get the pension outside australia.

Sounds disgraceful. So if you have worked in Australia and paid taxes all your life you can not choose to retire abroad. Even the scamming politicians in the UK aren't that bad.

Just give it time ! it won't be long before us Brits will be in the same boat ,disgusting !!!

Paying tax is not the same as contributing to a superannuation plan, and I'm referring particularly to Australia.

I paid tax, $200K+ pa for 20+ years, and will never get a cent in retirement because I also contributed to my own future via superannuation.

Because of my tax contribution I should be entitled to a greater pension than somebody who paid a lot less tax, but once again it's the lifters carrying the leaners.

It's an offensive concept that paying tax entitles a person to a pension for life. Tax is for government services not pensions.

I asked the question to a Centrelink officer, why should my aged pension be reduced because I worked all my life and paid into a super plan? I said someone who has drawn the dole all his life gets a full pension, yet I'm penalised because I had the forethought to buy a super plan. His response was, who would you rather be, the dole bludger just getting the pension, or yourself that has part pension and super as well?

Edited May 26, 2015 by giddyup

[bazza40]

I have been a disability pensioner in Oz now since '86 .... have been many changes since then and at present I am only allowed out of the country 4 weeks in a 12 month period ...

I have been married to a Thai now for 8 years and I still have 2 years to wait to get my age pension so we can travel together and stay longer than a month to see family in Thailand ... Despicable!!

My philosophy in life now is to never lie, cheat, steal, deceive because I know the government HATES competition

How long do you think is a reasonable time to remain outside the country and still receive your pension, if you're not an expat and continue to reside in Oz? Unfortunately, the government has had to bring in restrictions owing to people on this type of pension rorting the system. Not saying you are and I don't know how disabled you are but for you to be in receipt of this pension since 1986, it must be serious. Now if this is the case, how are you able to travel more than the 4 weeks in a year that you are now allowed?

Rorting the system? What planet are you on? Every pensioner living overseas saves the Australian Government money. The supplement is cut, Centrelink does not have to pay rent assistance, Medicare rebates, PBS medication etc. And the state governments don't have to give discounts on travel, electricity, gas, car registration etc. etc. Perhaps you could make the effort to understand the system's basic economics before accusing people of rorting. Or perhaps you are one of those people who still regard Australia as a penal colony.