The missing link

[happy daze john in oz]

There are times we all know when Government departments show quite openly that they have no idea of how the system works, or more than often does not.

Our version of the UK Social Security system is known as Centrelink, a central point for all government benifits, but as most users know The Missing Link is far more appropriate a name.


Currently any one on any form of benifit must notify the missing link of their impending departure from Oz no matter how long for. To some degree this is in order as those on New Start allowance, the Dole, should be looking for work so if they go they will not recieve payment during their abscence. But seniors, those on State Pensions must also notify though their payments are not affected.

If you leave the country by air the central computer system automaticaly kicks in and all relevent departmenst are notified. For seniors all you have to do is notify departure and return dates and providing you stick to them you do not have to notify of your return.


But if you go on a cruise the imigration department is only a temporary setup at the port, not connected to the national system. For a number of years I, and others, went away and came back without any record of our doing so at the Missing Link even though we had notified of our departure.

Then someone realised what was occuring so changes were made.


On our last departure in December I notified of our going to be told that the rules had changed and that we must also report back.

The following day I recieved an automated e-mail from the Missing Link telling me may dates had been noted and that I would not have to notify of my return.

Knowing how bad they are I decided on my return to notify them.

What a shambles, I was informed that I did not have to phone in on return as going on a cruise according to Missing Link ruling we had not left Australia and for future reference all we have to do is supply dates.

There was a time when I had a full head of hair, then I began to deal with government departments!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Ivan Cloherty]

Nothings changed then John, you in Oz are slowly catching up, in the 70's I lived abroad for eight years and was told for my State Pension not to be affected I should make voluntary contributions to NHI, which accordingly I did (for eight years ! Sucker!!). Upon my return to UK I was told that they had lost all my records so that I could not claim unemployment benefit and that in any case I had no need to have paid NHI for those years. If upon arriving in UK I had made arrangements to have paid the previous three months NHI contributions then my pension would not have been affected and I could have claimed unemployment benefit straightaway, but sorry couldn't find my records so no payments could be made. Upon reading my local paper that evening I read that an immigrant family who had arrived in the UK in a town just 12 miles away the previous night had been given a flat, furniture, TV etc etc and £120 week living allowance. To say I was not best pleased was perhaps a mild understatement, anyway I had a job within a couple of weeks, never did receive any benefit and my records were not found for another three months, only because they had to find somewhere to put my contributions, I often wondered where my previous eight years contributions had gone!

[Colin Hawken]

Not even Walt Disney could have dreamed that up. I'll bet some of these people went to a top University. Brilliant brains,totally lacking in the most important thing. Commonsense.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi John.
A few years ago we went on a flight to NZ we informed the missing link who said you don't have to tell us when we return, fair enough we didn't, next came a letter stating that unless we gave a satisfactory answer as to why we didn't inform them of our return our pension would be stopped, me wife having worked in a large hospital and knowing what public servants were like had kept a note that the chief missing link had given her informing that we didn't have to let them know about returning. Red faces but nothing else said.
Cheers Des.

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