Jewels,
I know you are special, and I have admiration for your hubby as he puts up with a lot and you seem to have him twisted around your little finger, but whether or not that applies to all Kiwis, I am not so sure. You and hubby can hide out in my place if things really get bad.

But the questions I ask are reasonable as maybe the old arrangements are past their use by date. Seems all was well untill some foreigners started to short circut our immigration by firstly going to NZ and gaining citizenship and then hoping across the ditch and landing here. I take it that is why things changed. Maybe this worked in reverse as well.

I know we are cousins, but what is in it for NZ and us ultimately. If we have a free passage and residence to each others country, both countries have to benefit. I am asking questions not having a go at you. Can you not get pension when of age or is the only thing about voting. Our politicians are nothing to write home about, so many of us see voting as a pain. I may well look to the shaky isles as a place to emigrate to when our lot stuff it here completely.

They are trying hard to do that.

Good questions Banjo and I don’t have the answers, I should since they will affect me but stuff like pensions I have never looked into. I don’t think I could get one here, I can’t get any benefit now here. See I was born with this knowledge that we were all buddies and Kiwi’s and Aussies can cruise back and forth whenever.

Looks like that part of it still works fine but where NZ will happily give out benefits to Aussies it doesn’t happen the other way round.

Maybe if Aussie did the rule for people who previously held a different citizenship previous to the NZ one less than 5 years before? Might stop others using NZ to cruise in here.

Or just drop your benefits to that of NZ. I reckon that would cause a bit of a bludge panic though.

As it stands its nuts, mostly cause on OLO I hear the bleating about who can and can’t assimilate and who should and shouldn’t be allowed to move here and you go and stop the peeps more like you than anyone else on earth.

If they try boot me out I will be on the bridge with a banner saying “BANJO COME GET US!”

Maybe sbr108 can answer?

Do you miss out on some benefits by not being a citizen or is having the right (read obligation) to vote the main issue in not being a citizen.

What about Medicare and pensions? How do you get a tax file number?

You get a tax file number (be very nice if Kiwi’s were tax exempt) and medicare. Unemployment and disability are a no go. I doubt you can get a pension here without being a citizen. But yeah Srb seems like he would have some answers for both of us.

I’d wonder what it does to have a large population of one nationality here that can never call Aussie home. As for voting, I suppose it depends on who thinks it might be an important thing for members of this society to have. It’s not something that bothers me a whole a lot. Not being a citizen really bothers me and has for a long time.

Well you do not Banjo.
And Jewerly I want an answer to your question, if you did land on our northern coast, not come from the other half of the word ANZAC you would be ok.
Now be a trouble maker, do just this, I will too,remember winners are grinner's.
Print ten copy's, of this thread, send every one but one to opposition members of federal Parliament.
They can then stop reading fairy story's for policy's, actually have one!
Send one to the minister, number it as copy number 162!
Fun, action, and a win.
PS at my sisters wedding I presented my soon to be brother in law with a gift, an offer of free transport any place in Australia before the wedding.
He said no but often thanked me for the heads up,sis not as impressed but we get on well.

Kiwis who move over genuinely, and can prove they have moved rather than just dropped in for a month or two can get Medicare. The Special Category Visa allows Kiwis to work and/or own a business so getting a Tax File Number or ABN is no problem. The problems arise with the interpretation of what a permanent resident is. Any Kiwi who moves over permanently feels they are permanent residents and for all practical purposes they are. However there are hidden little clauses in Insurance policies and some employment contracts for example that reqiuire the holder to be a 'permanent resident' which by the immigration status they are not. A iwi applying for Firemen's job in Vitori was rejected on the grounds of nationality (this decision was overturned by the Court when a discrimination case was filed) Kiwis are not entitled to any form of social welfare or pension under the current arrangement, no matter how much tax they have contributed.

To put this in perspective, in Europe citizens can now live in any country they want but not all the countries offer the same benefits. Germany allows foreigners to to live and work in Germany but charges them less tax because they do not have equal benefits.

My concerns are mostly about having equality. I belive if you live somewhere a long time and you've be a positive contributer to society you should be entitled to all the beneifits of that society. This also happens to be the position of the United nations anti-discrimination policies which Australia is a signatory to... but that doesn't seem to matter in Canbara.

I want fairness. I believe there should be some sort of grandfather cluase in the Immigration Act that grants acceptance after whatever time limit is considered appropriate.

I like the ideas offered up about getting in boats and doing a mass media blitz. My attempts to get anyone in the media interested so far have fallen on deaf ears... Andrew Bolt, George Negus, etc.