Robert Dyson
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Posts posted by Robert Dyson
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On 05/10/2022 at 18:20, Ken said:
As a back-up I'd recommend opening a multi-currency account with Wise. They have some of the best rates for transferring money, but what is really useful for you is that they'll give you a Australian bank account and sort-code and a physical debit card (I think there's now a fee to get a physical card but they'll give you virtual cards that you can use online for free) allowing you to use it almost like a regular bank account.
Also unlike opening an account with an Australian bank online (which you can do before moving to Australia) you don't have to present yourself at a branch in Australia to complete the KYC checks before you can withdraw any money.
Is there any difference between registering from Australia or from the UK....ie if i setup in Australia then i get a UK account added?
I'm thinking of setting one up to help my Dad deal with transferring money over here. Given that i'd have to do everything for him anyway, I might just set one up in my name with my Australian mobile for the 2FA, and get a physical card sent here so he can use it.
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On 04/12/2021 at 14:52, scousers said:
Have lived in Melbourne 33 years now and it does become boring. There is alot to do but i think im sick of being entertained, i would rather live than be entertained all the time. Everywhere in OZ becomes boring after a while its down to the culture and the people in my opinion. I know my personality disappeared about 10-12 years ago
There is something to be said for creativity and personality being stimulated from difficult circumstance, hardship and desperation. Treat em mean, keep 'em keen. Australia doesn't have as much of that as the UK does, but it's been cultural and economic policy in the UK for years to try and drive efficiencies through the class system. From that comes humour, character and personality as a defence mechanism. It's no secret that Liverpudlians are known for their humour, but it doesn't come from everybody being rich and living in comfort....it's been a mechanism to cope with life.
The London Olympic's opening ceremony was perhaps the best description of British life I've ever seen, no other country on earth could have produced a demonstration of historical culture like that, but most of it came from ordinary people's creativity, experimentation and invention.
The UK, certainly the music industry, isn't mostly populated by rich kids with the luxury to make a choice, it's dominated by people who had nothing at all and had to fight for everything they've had. Australia could never produce a Sex Pistols or a Beatles, because there is no cultural base born out of deprivation to enrich it.
Australia is a wealthy country and people are overall, far more comfortable and secure than counterparts in the UK. It does lead to a sanitised, dull as dishwater atmosphere at times, because there is nothing really pressing that needs worrying about. Australians are generally well provided for, their societies are not overridden with crime, the provisioning for public spaces and facilities is generally excellent. They do not have much to complain about at all. That can actually become very boring and less stimulating than developing your character in much more difficult circumstances in the UK.
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On 04/12/2021 at 07:06, Bulya said:
It’s a backwater. Why do Poms move there in such large numbers?
same reason as the Saffers, closest place to home.
I would live in Perth if i needed a base for Asia, but why you would otherwise choose it over the East Coast is beyond me.
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9 hours ago, Blue Flu said:
I've been to India as well and traveled in it. One of course focus on the poverty, but it is a land so much more than that. . This is unlikely to be so in countries sadly diminished and defined by their poverty, for example Haiti. India has long captivated western minds and senses and changed lives in ways never expected by people prior to going. Such an assortment of different personalities encountered have never encountered elsewhere.
India is a different world, there's nowhere else like it. Following the first visit, we never again booked a traditional "english style" holiday to the usual European beach places..I mean why would you? Ended up doing India multiple times, then reached out all over the Asia Pacific and eventually we just decided to move to Australia after seeing a job advert...it was a 30 second conversation and we never looked back.
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1 minute ago, DIG85 said:
Makes you wonder why he hasn’t already offered to sponsor your PR.
"My occupation is only eligible for the temporary skilled shortage visa route, meaning my employer renews it every two years and there's no path to permanent residency"
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7 hours ago, Blue Flu said:
If not around Australia, it was usually to London. An entire Aussie sub culture existed in London and along with Kiwi's and Saffa's a somewhat 'tight' group often living with own kind. But back in the day London was more affordable. There were cheap eating places, work was plentiful and a home from home for those not wanting to immerse to deep into London culture.
Shepherd's Bush used to be full of Saffa's and Aussie's, but they could earn enough from bar work and a good exchange rate to take enough money home with them to put down a house deposit. They can't do that anymore, so i read that most Aussie's now look for professional jobs in the city and have just elevated themselves above the old backpacker scene.
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7 hours ago, Blue Flu said:
Whatever failings the UK has and they are considerable, those of us that enjoy foreign travel, find it far more comfortable to do and far cheaper than undertaking it from Australia. Besides the ability to be able to live easier without the need of a car, together with closeness of places locally are to me the main attractions to being in UK.
It would be a good base to explore from, you don't appreciate that when you live there. A lot of Aussies i know have amazed me with the breadth of their travel in Europe, far more than the British people i know. I guess that's because a lot have close family all over Europe..Italy, Slovenia, Greece, Croatia etc.
The willigness to travel is also an Aussie thing, distance is no problem...they will hop in a car wearing a vest, shorts and flip flops and drive the equivalent of Birmingham to Glasgow to go for a meal. It's amazing. A bloke I worked with flew out on a Thursday to surprise his wife who working in Amsterdam. He was back at his desk on Tuesday morning. Spent 2 nights there !
The UK car thing is interesting....car hire prices have trebled in 2 years, am trying to book one for the new year and i cannot believe the prices they're asking for these tiny cars.
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1 hour ago, 22B said:
No Twickenham, no cars, no driving on nice country roads, no seasons (really), no Christmas, no family (on my side), no culture, no real history, no blackbirds, robins, fields of green, no holidays in Europe (unless you're prepared to sell a child to afford to stay on 'Rotto' and book 2 years in advance). This might be rose-tinted but it's a true reflection of what my life was full of previously. Now, I am a shell of the person who came here with a hope of positive change. 12 years have certainly solidified my thoughts about what I need to feel happy and the need to re-earth myself in Gloucestershire is beyond crippling.
We have blackbirds on the south east coast, it appears to be very different from Perth, a lot more history and culture though nothing on the UK scale....4 very distinct seasons, currently you can hardly tell the difference from the UK, green and wet, misty mountains, rivers overflowing....though i guess why that's why they call it NSW. We have a lot working over here from WA, they won't go back until they retire when they want a more sedentary lifestyle.
At the beginning of the pandemic a mate living up on the coast near Coffs Harbour got out and went back to the UK and has just spent 18 months in Presteigne, not far from Gloucestershire. Although he was locked down for an awfully long time and has been unable to return to his home in Australia when he wanted to, he's had a whale of a time immersing himself back in English pub culture, done lots of walking and retraced the Bruce Chatwin travel books, he's spending money on nice meals and generally reconnecting with an old culture, even if it had been forced upon him. He is now desperate to get back to Australia for the summer though, he doesn't fancy being stuck there for another winter. There is something to be said for taking long breaks...places can't make you happy if you're unhappy, they can relieve symptoms.
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On 10/11/2021 at 15:00, Marisawright said:
the treatment I've received from specialists in the public health system has been far superior to the private ones.
In ACT they're often the same person, especially for surgeries.....they just turn a different direction at the end of the corridor on some days. They even have private offices on the edge of public hospital campuses, and bridges between the public and private part of the hospital. One you get free, the other you pay for but they give you an extra biscuit.
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On 10/11/2021 at 12:02, Marisawright said:
They explained to me that if the referring doctor bulk-bills, then they also bulk bill. If the referring doctor doesn't bulk bill, then neither do they.
I've never paid for pathology or blood tests from any referring doctor, or anything for ultrasound or CT scans....but when i went private for an invasive procedure (to save a 9 month wait), i had to pay for everything, there were various bills coming through for months from people i didn't even know had been involved. Insurance covered about half, medicare paid 25%, I paid the rest.
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5 minutes ago, proud preston said:
@Robert Dyson- and your point being? Are you suggesting that it’s ok to kill as they are ‘just’ animals? Everything as an inherent instinct to survive. I purposely said ‘someone’ as the label ‘something’ allows total disconnect.
So does the label "everything" which you used in the previous sentence.
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41 minutes ago, proud preston said:
Killing humanely is a complete oxymoron when someone doesn’t want to be killed.
They're not people
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6 hours ago, Blue Flu said:
Since checked and initial payment noted as pending. Hence made a more substantial payment in the last week, while the $ was strong allowing a good exchange rate.
Good news. If anything it's good because you'll get an automatic letter next year reminding of any available outstanding voluntary contributions to make. If you don't contribute for 2 years, they stop sending reminders and then you have to through the rigmorale of getting in touch with them again for an update..
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On 17/10/2021 at 11:48, Blue Flu said:
I paid in a years worth of NI payments over two weeks ago and it has yet to be paid into my account. Glad didn't whack in more years. Feel better doing a trial run to see how it works.
Reasons for doing it was to diversify as well as a non means tested pension for life. Also something outside the AUS $ .
It takes ages, and the pace of communication if you need anything is glacial.
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19 minutes ago, Marisawright said:
Sorry Robert, but this is patently not true. Places can't make you happy, and they can't make me happy, but for some people, they are everything.
I didn't believe it either, at first. It seemed unbelievable to me that anyone could feel so attached to the place of their birth, that it would actually be more important than family or friends or anything else. But just because we don't feel it and find it very hard to put ourselves in their shoes, doesn't mean we can dismiss it.
I've met too many such people now. I'm convinced they exist, nd that their attachment to place is deep-seated and very, very real to them. You may think they're mad, but it doesn't change how they feel. Their homeland could be a garbage dump and they'll still feel happier there than on a luxury yacht.
Living in another country just feels "wrong" to them, and if they're stuck there, they feel as though a part of their soul is missing. I'm so glad it's not something I'm afflicted with.
An affliction is probably the right word.
I remember Billy Connolly getting embroiled in the old stereotypical Scotsman talk and getting quite offended, even if he did used to tartan himself up. The gist was yes, it has lovely parts that resonate through nostalgia, but the concept of defining his and his family's whole life perspective based on the lump of rock that he had no choice but to be born onto was utter madness, especially as that life had dealt him a shit hand. Surely the idea was to be self-reliant and develop personal success, rather than tie yourself to something that would do nothing for you but you can then use as an excuse for anything that went wrong?
Although meeting Pamela Stephenson seemed to widen his horizons for the better, so perhaps it still does just come down to personal and family contentment offering a more realistic perspective on priorities?
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On 05/11/2021 at 17:44, friedparsley said:
I have a Scottish accent. Maybe harder to lose than some English accents.
much harder to get rid of the trace and it depends on the ear as well. I met a lady serving in a shop once and asked her when she came here from Scotland. She looked at me with horror and said 1955, and that she didn't have a Scottish accent as far as she knew. Clear as a bell to me.
My FIL is Scottish and he has a Scottish accent though has lived in England for 60 years. When he goes back to Glasgow they think he's English, they cannot pick up any Glaswegian at all.
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6 minutes ago, proud preston said:
@Robert Dyson thanks for your response. I’ve found that places contribute to my emotional well being. I feel a deep sense of connectedness when I’m back in the UK; particularity in Lancashire. Additionally, as mentioned, I never disliked the UK as many migrants did/do. I’m not searching for something that no longer exists. Each time I’ve gone back and heard the Lancashire accents I’ve always felt a comfort and a pang of jealousy because I moved away. I think many feel a connection to place. I love the light, the trees, the craggy mountains, the architecture .....
I despise the current government- greedy, no appreciation of past wisdom and in the same breath not forward thinking. Cutting down habitat, no value for native wildlife Looking after their own.
Everybody needs roots, there are still people over here who religiously watch Coronation Street, or Eastenders, or Emmerdale. Same thing, humans are sentimental beings, it's what differentiates us and gorillas from the rest of the animal kingdom.
I just think making yourself a slave to sentiment isn't healthy, neither is relying on a Government to do the right thing. One of the differences I notice in Australia is that it encourages people to take control of their own destiny, sometimes by tough love, sometimes by giving more opportunity than you'd get elsewhere. That generally sets up Australians for a very good life. If you can do that, you can visit the UK as often as possible to deal with the nostalgia, but without thinking you need it to survive.
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On 07/11/2021 at 09:48, proud preston said:
At the time we were in our mid 30’s. I remember thinking the wife seemed sad and somewhat bitter. She hated being here and it clearly showed in their relationship. Husband loved Australia yet ....happened to say one day ‘ hmm after a while it gets a bit boring here’ His wife, in a fabulous East London accent, quick as a flash snapped back in a scathing attack - “ Bored? in f##king paradise?” Highly amusing for us newbies at the time. However, I find I’ve become that scathing, sarcastic person who hates the drama, sensationalism of seven TV news and any other TV prog, can’t stand the crooked government, saddened by the over development and clearing of trees, all too often looking for shade and couldn’t stand walking in these months when it’s after 8am, love the landscape yet hate the landscape.....It’s got that I all too often despise Australia and Australians. An awful way to live and I know it’s me that is the problem as I am wallowing in my own self pity.
I think you need counselling before making any decisions, and you need patience and probable mental health support. "Places" cannot make you happy or unhappy, they can amplify existing feelings.
The worst thing you can is flip back to the UK and then find out it does nothing to solve your problems, and may even make them worse. We have posters on here who returned to the UK 15 years ago and they still cannot let go of their sense of failure. Their problems have little to do with geography and culture, it's more deep-seated than that.
You talk about crooked government....have you seen what's going on in the UK right now, it is disgusting and sinister (see below).
One of the biggest problems with going back somewhere is the expectation that it will be the same as when you left it. The UK will not be like that, and neither are the people or their attitudes. It is demonstrably getting worse by any number of measures.
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I love threads like this
32 minutes ago, nuttychemist26@yahoo.co.uk said:Really? All reports state the virus has a 99.97% survival rate. It’s not Ebola
She has a heart problem, can you not read ?
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On 29/10/2021 at 17:42, Parley said:
International travel is starting on Monday. I'd be surprised if exemptions are needed in 2022.
We will be around 90% vaccinated so i expect all that will be required soon is vaccine passport showing fully vaccinated and a negative covid test 72 hours before boarding your flight.
The exemptions are just to give separated families and specifically parents a head start to re-connect quickly and push them up the queue, they will want to open up to other VISA holders and foreign students asap so by Christmas i reckon the exemptions won't be an issue anyway.
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Here we are, just for getting through the travel restrictions
Parents of adult Australian citizens and permanent residents
From 1 November 2021, the definition of ‘immediate family member’ will include the parents of adult Australian citizens and permanent residents. This is for the purpose of assessing exemptions to Australia’s travel restrictions only.
The definition of parents of Australian citizens and permanent residents includes:
- biological parents
- legal (including adoptive) parents
- step-parents
- parents in-law.
Before you can travel, you will need to have your relationship with your adult Australian child confirmed by submitting a travel exemption request. You must submit your request through the Travel Exemption Portal. Select the category ‘I am an immediate family member’ and then ‘parent of adult Australian citizen or permanent resident’.
You will need to provide evidence of:
- your adult child’s Australian citizenship or permanent residency; and
- your parental relationship to the Australian citizen or permanent resident.
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8 hours ago, Marisawright said:
Parents on PR visas never needed a exemption because they hold a PR visa. The exemption is for other parents wanting to visit, which means they're on a tourist or temporary parents' visa.
Classing parents as immediate family for PR visa purposes would mean that every migrant could bring their partner, children and aged parents with them. The burden on the taxpayer would be enormous.
What the government isn't considering, I fear, is the wave of parents who will arrive on tourist visas and then apply for a 804 onshore, creating a massive burden on the taxpayer anyway.
Yes, I meant parents of PR's and citizens.
It will be interesting what they're considering to stop others using it as backdoor to future policy change....maybe making it retrospective but not for current or future applications. I'd assume this is a direct response to those separated by the pandemic and would be time-limited.
Too right, I know loads, including me..anything to get them out of that godforsaken hole before it tanks any further...but i am sure that is under consideration. They need to ensure people are self-funding pay for any healthcare and to get that signed up to formally.
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On 16/10/2021 at 17:12, peter70 said:
any chance a change of government could bring more hope to those trying to reunite with aged parents?
there is supposed to be some news this week regarding classification of parents of citizens or PRs as "immediate family" regarding the need for an entry exemption. This may just be a temporary fix or a waiver to prioritise parental reunions over the business or study VISA holders getting entry. However the PM announced this with no detail, so the Government website just refers you back to the PM's speech and says to wait for an announcement !
There is an election coming up fairly soon and the Morrison government may wish to do more to repair some of the criticism they have faced about the enforced separation of families...or maybe not.
National insurance contributions while live in oz
in Money and Finance
Posted
That would be it
Yes, i remember when i started paying mine (years ago) i had to prove that i'd gone straight from UK employment into Australian employment to be allowed to pay C2. Otherwise it would have been the more expensive C3.
https://www.gov.uk/voluntary-national-insurance-contributions/who-can-pay-voluntary-contributions#:~:text=You can pay Class 2,least 3 years of contributions