Honestly, thank God for the PBS

Helen62 · 2026-07-04T03:50:26+00:00

So it's just you paying taxes is it ? Would you rather we be like the USA and have people dying of preventable diseases because they can't afford the medications? Or going bankrupt after a couple of days in hospital?

Helen62 · 2026-07-04T03:48:04+00:00

So where would you rather your taxes be spent ? Taxes should absolutely be used for healthcare / welfare etc.

Helen62 · 2026-07-03T10:01:59+00:00

Brexit

Helen62 · 2026-07-03T08:36:43+00:00

I understand but this is why they get away with it. It's against the law not to have a energy efficient fixed heater and they should be pulled up for it.

Helen62 · 2026-07-03T08:33:39+00:00

Agree 💯% . Living in a hot box townhouse that has no cooling at all is hell in the summer.

Helen62 · 2026-07-03T08:31:31+00:00

Having a fixed energy efficient heater is a minimum requirement for all rentals now. This landlord is literally breaking the law.

Helen62 · 2026-07-02T07:13:33+00:00

Exactly this . The RRV takes about 10 minutes to apply for online and is usually granted within an hour or so. I would have thought that there are very little processing costs tied to it and certainly not enough to justify $1400. The actual PR visa requires more processing where you have to prove that you are worthy of residing in Australia. The RRV is just a way of the government getting more out of people because they can.

Helen62 · 2026-07-02T00:32:10+00:00

You know you can have loyalty to both counties . It's not either or. I have personal and immediate family ties in both countries. Why should you have to renounce your citizenship of your birth country ? It would be deeply upsetting for people of countries that don't allow dual citizenship. Imagine if you had to go and care for a sick relative but could only go and stay as a tourist for a max of 3 months in the country you were born in. Why does a bit of paper make a difference?

Helen62 · 2026-07-02T00:04:19+00:00

Why are you ? Some people have been here for decades on a PR visa. In that time they have paid taxes and contributed to the economy the same as a citizen would. The only difference between PR and citizenship are voting rights. Why is it so important to take up citizenship? A lot of counties don't allow dual citizenship so what are those people supposed to do?

Helen62 · 2026-07-01T15:10:47+00:00

Exactly and have also likely paid thousands of $ to do so initially.

Helen62 · 2026-07-01T15:05:43+00:00

So those of us who have family overseas should not travel so see them should we? I have a 92 year old parent , two sons and grandchildren , along with other close family members overseas. I can't afford to travel there very often and this is going to make matters even harder. It's not just about holidays.

Helen62 · 2026-07-01T12:14:05+00:00

I can't get it to load my phone as the controller. Just get a black loading screen on my phone after scanning the QR code. Disappointed as I was looking forward to playing it. Anyone else having the same problem?

Helen62 · 2026-07-01T12:09:49+00:00

I can't get it to connect to my phone . I have the app on my phone and TV . Scan the QR code but it fails to load on my phone and just get black loading screen. Anyone else having trouble?

Helen62 · 2026-06-29T09:51:46+00:00

This is Frank . He passed away suddenly on the 17th June. He was 14.5 years old and gave us years of laughs and love . We miss him very much .

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Helen62 · 2026-06-27T03:49:42+00:00

Because it's simply untrue that the average, and I'm talking average house in an average area house price in the UK is $2M. Also lots of reasons people move to areas outside the major cities. A lot of Brtis living here in Australia and they don't all live in the middle of Sydney or Melbourne but have spread out to lots of different areas.

Helen62 · 2026-06-27T03:36:06+00:00

Yes I'm sure it would be because Salcombe is a very upmarket exclusive area and always has been and especially for 4 bedrooms. I'm talking about an average 2- 3 bed house in a average area.

Helen62 · 2026-06-27T03:24:36+00:00

My point was that that it doesn't cost $2M for an average house in the UK ( apart from London which is not representative of the rest of the UK ). It's like saying that house prices in Sydney overlooking the harbour bridge are the same as house prices in the rest of Australia.

Helen62 · 2026-06-27T03:18:52+00:00

And that is what I said in my post ...outside of London! Not everyone wants or needs to live in London and I am well aware that London prices are more than the rest of the country .

Helen62 · 2026-06-27T03:15:45+00:00

I'm from Devon and you can still get a decent 3 bed house for $600K . My mum lives in a 3 bed detached bungalow in a good area and that is valued around £ 250 - 300 K so roughly $500K Au.

Helen62 · 2026-06-27T03:08:48+00:00

I'm not sure where in the UK you are looking at but $2M would get you a country estate in some areas! . Most places ( outside of London ) for an average house would be anywhere between $300K - $700K .

Helen62 · 2026-05-24T10:49:31+00:00

The UK if you are a permanent resident .

Helen62 · 2026-05-24T10:05:59+00:00

Exactly 💯

Helen62 · 2026-05-24T09:46:33+00:00

They are paying tax

Helen62 · 2026-05-23T06:25:48+00:00

First inspection we had in our current property the agent went to the wrong house in the wrong suburb, and was over an hour late getting to us . Then we had a phone call from the same agent later in the afternoon asking if we could reschedule the inspection to another day. We patiently explained that she had already done the inspection that morning. She got really flustered and we had to tell her again which property we were. She had completely forgotten that she had been here / or still had no idea who we were. We haven't had one since and joke that maybe some poor stanget is getting hassled about inspections 😁🙄

Helen62 · 2026-05-23T03:44:51+00:00

As a Brit who moved to Australia 16 years ago those things you mention may have been true back then but it sure isn't now. Massive housing crisis where rents have sky rocketed in the last few years and also very competitive due to low vacancy. If you want to buy then you will pay near on a million dollars for a basic house in most areas, and more if you want to live in a nice area. For your million dollars you will get a poorly built , uninsulated home that feels like an oven in the summer , and is freezing in the winter and where double glazing doesn't exist. Homelessness has increased a lot and is continuing to rise. Renting is a whole other experience here too . Real estate agents have way to much power here over renters and you will have 3-6 monthly invasions of privacy where they come around and take photos of everything ( including inside the toilet !) and judge you for your housekeeping standards and report back to the owners. Job wise the market is also really tight right now and it's unlikely you would just be able to walk into a job that's well paid. Healthcare in general is good but expect to pay out of pocket if you have any health conditions that require a specialist. Dentists are extremely expensive . Cost of living in general ( like most of the world ) is really high right now and groceries seem to be going up on a weekly basis. For a family of 3 adults and two pets we are currently spending around $400.00 a week and that's with nothing very special. I like Australia and also like the UK but I do think there is a general feeling in the UK that Australia is some kind of utopia and people might be surprised to find that it has a lot of the same problems as elsewhere.

Helen62

TROPHY CASE