AUSTRALIAN govt set to destroy pinoy families. please sign this!

[ghostrider]

---

the Australian government is underhandedly proposing to introduce new rules that will affect many filipino families.

the changes are to limit Australian disability support pensioners from being with thier families for 6 months out of the year.

currently Australians recieving DSP pensions have to return to australia every 3 months to retain thier pensions. This rule in itself is bad enough.

Those Australians with families here in the Philippines will be forced to cut sending money home to thier loved ones. this will seriously affect thier families and any people they may employ here.

if you care about your families please click on this link to sign the petition.
its easy and may help save some families from poverty.

(18 feb: I just added a new link so people can understand what the petition is all about, you can still sign it by clicking on the sing tab at the bottom of the page)

PLEASE NOTE: HERE'S THE LINK TO THE INFO ON THE PETITION & to sign it :

http://www.gopetition.com/petition/42934.html



thankyou for having a social conscience and caring for your fellow families...
(a concerned husband and father of 3)...

[tokidoki]

Bai, I have talked to 2 Australian/Pinoys and says this isn't true and they have never heard of it.

[monroy]

i haven't heard of it either, i'm dual pinoy/aus citizen living in cebu. but that might be because the law hasn't been passed yet. i think what their government is trying to do is keep australian money within australia, but with the already insufficient and dwindling pension system over there they should even be encouraging australians to retire overseas where the expense is cheaper...

[Clifford_2008]

hope sayop ra ni

[ghostrider]

sorry guys but it is true.
the changes were meant to be introduced on jan 1st but due to the floods (and other reasons), the senate wont be sitting till the 28th of this month (feb).

the changes are being kept quiet and are not being publicy aired except for a couple of small inserts in the australian news papers.

please bear in mind that this is to save the aussie govt an estemated 3 million dollars. its a small ammount compared to what it will cost the govt when those on DSP return to australia.
not to mention the damage the changes will do to Filipino families.

here is a copy of the governments press release regarding the changes:

Media Releases
Printer-friendly format
New residency rules for Disability Support Pensioners

28/03/2010

Joint Media Release with The Hon Bill Shorten MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children's Services

The Australian Government will crack down on people on the Disability Support Pension (DSP) who live permanently overseas but return to Australia every 13 weeks in order to retain their pension.

From January 2011, only DSP recipients permanently residing in Australia will be able to continue to receive the DSP except under limited and specific circumstances.

Even though only Australian residents can lodge a claim for the DSP, and those on DSP can only be absent from Australia for up to 13 weeks, there are cases of DSP recipients living permanently overseas and flying back to Australia every 13 weeks to continue receiving the pension.

The Government will close this loophole to ensure the system is fair and effective.

An additional rule will be introduced to require Australia to be a DSP recipient's permanent place of residence. This change will bring DSP into line with other workforce age payments.

Under the Social Security Act, residence is determined by examining a range of factors, including whether someone owns or rents property in Australia, whether they have assets in Australia, how long they plan to spend away from Australia and whether they have an Australian bank account.

Analysis of data from the 2007-08 financial year shows that of DSP recipients who undertook more than three overseas trips, 154 spent less than eight weeks in Australia over the year. Of these 71 spent less than four weeks in Australia and eight spent less than a week here.

These changes have been made possible through a new data exchange process between Centrelink and the Immigration Department that started in 2008.

Centrelink will take a risk-based approach to reviewing the residence status of DSP recipients and will focus on those customers who have three or more overseas trips a year.

The changes will not affect DSP recipients who need to leave Australia temporarily, only those who choose to no longer permanently live in Australia.

The 13 week temporary absence rule will remain to allow DSP recipients to legitimately travel overseas for short periods.

This change will not affect any disability support pensioner who has portability under an international social security agreement, is grandfathered from changes introduced in 2001 or 2004, or is entitled to portability because they are severely disabled and terminally ill and overseas to be cared for by a family member.

This change is expected to save taxpayers around $3 million a year when fully operational.

The Government is committed to improving support to people with disability. As a result of pension increases announced last year and indexation, the DSP payment for singles on the maximum adult rate has been increased by around $100 per fortnight.

© Commonwealth of Australia 2007. | This page last modified 29 March 2010.

Copyright and Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Site feedback

here is a link to that press release:
file://localhost/C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Owner/Desktop/DSP/Minister%20for%20Families,%20Housing,%20Community% 20Services%20and%20Indigenous%20Affairs%20_%20New% 20residency%20rules%20for%20Disability%20Support%2 0Pensioners.mht

[Hammer_and_Sickle]

wat?kadakung gutom

[ghostrider]

and heres a link to another site dedicated to informing people with disabilities ( on australian DSP payments):
DSPoverseas - Home

if you have a friend recieving an Aussie DSP payment (and is staying here in the Philippines) I strongly recomend you let him know about these changes as they WILL affect him. (if he was placed on DSP after 2004).

People on DSP pensions abroad will be forced to stay in Australia for 6 months before they will be able to travel (anywhere) overseas.
The excessive cost of living in Australia will mean they wont be able to send money back to the Philippines to support thier families.

[bearish]

why do we mind how australian government govern their people and their money? We should mind how our government govern us, not australia.

how about our DSP? do we have and how effective?

[DeathFox]

magbuot man ning thread starter sa kwarta sa australia. basig siya ng ma.apektuhan ani mao na desperado kaayu na magpapasign.
Stop mooching off some foreign old geezer and "magbanat ka ng buto"!!!

[tonioyantao]

"Destroy" manjud unsa ni tabloid?

i talked to one of my relatives in australia somehow she's not aware on the new ruling whether if it is already in action nor only a proposal.

in my opinion the australian government has all the right to do so. ang pension system ngadto padulungay na mahupas it already was a topic i think 2 years ago on an australian news network.

kita ra man pud mga pinoy na ultimo pension gamiton pa sa pag suporta ug pamilya. para kay kinsa ba gyud nang pension?