Now I'm on a roll 
I used aborigines as an example of the few in-the-face people that tarnish the majority you don't see because they are, like yourself, living a good life unseen.
As a pom (arrived here in my late 20s) I am also entitled to a part UK pension as well. Not for sentimental reasons but because I FECKN PAID FOR IT
(SHOUTS)
The UK welfare system is based on the National Insurance Contributions Scheme set up after the Second World War, and is basically a State run super type scheme. Every week, a contribution is taken out of your pay and accrues in your Nat Insurance account, and if you are unemployed for a while and when you retire, this contribution .. did you see the word Insurance above? pays out.
Perhaps a big mistake made by Australia (whingeing pom cap on) is that this was not adopted in Australia at that time because there was huge economic growth and low unemployment, mostly due to immigration, and ever onward and upward etc... no need ever to have a contributory system like the UK.
And it's still contributory in the UK, I can actually now pay for all my missing National Insurance contributions that I didn't pay as I moved to Aus, and can get a half pension. Applying right now, and no not double dipping as the payment will reduce my Aussie centrelink payments which is just fine by me.
In the UK (despite being in recession but that's another story entirely so don't go there) they refer to BENEFIT payments (shouts) because that is what they are, benefits that are paid from your own personal National Insurance scheme contributions - just as benefits from Funeral Direct or Insuranceline or whatever over here. "Please indicate here name of beneficiary should you pass away".
Sad really because the precarious situation of Australian Pensioners and unemployed leaves them open to accusations of bludging, and an "entitlement" mentality. Not so in other countries.
So in the UK if someone (or more correct, some thing) like Geeena were to pipe up about the entitlement mentality she could get well fecked.
I used aborigines as an example of the few in-the-face people that tarnish the majority you don't see because they are, like yourself, living a good life unseen.
As a pom (arrived here in my late 20s) I am also entitled to a part UK pension as well. Not for sentimental reasons but because I FECKN PAID FOR IT
(SHOUTS)
The UK welfare system is based on the National Insurance Contributions Scheme set up after the Second World War, and is basically a State run super type scheme. Every week, a contribution is taken out of your pay and accrues in your Nat Insurance account, and if you are unemployed for a while and when you retire, this contribution .. did you see the word Insurance above? pays out.
Perhaps a big mistake made by Australia (whingeing pom cap on) is that this was not adopted in Australia at that time because there was huge economic growth and low unemployment, mostly due to immigration, and ever onward and upward etc... no need ever to have a contributory system like the UK.
And it's still contributory in the UK, I can actually now pay for all my missing National Insurance contributions that I didn't pay as I moved to Aus, and can get a half pension. Applying right now, and no not double dipping as the payment will reduce my Aussie centrelink payments which is just fine by me.
In the UK (despite being in recession but that's another story entirely so don't go there) they refer to BENEFIT payments (shouts) because that is what they are, benefits that are paid from your own personal National Insurance scheme contributions - just as benefits from Funeral Direct or Insuranceline or whatever over here. "Please indicate here name of beneficiary should you pass away".
Sad really because the precarious situation of Australian Pensioners and unemployed leaves them open to accusations of bludging, and an "entitlement" mentality. Not so in other countries.
So in the UK if someone (or more correct, some thing) like Geeena were to pipe up about the entitlement mentality she could get well fecked.
