The face of pensioner despair in Greece
I found this very upsetting. Personally I hope the Greek people vote Yes.
No need to worry about food parcels, most Greeks settle in Melbourne, and hundreds of them are sending food, money etc and are also preparing to receive hundreds of Greek relatives and friends, more strain on social security just because the Greeks could not live within their means.
.....heard in the Media that there are 12,000 applications from Greeks with dual citizenship wanting to get back into Melbourne to live!! (as it is well documented) that we here in Melb. - have the 2nd. largest Greek population outside of Greece.........
Funny how when "things go wrong" where people choose to live...they want to come running back to the "safe house" they left in the first place?
With minimum rental availability as it is - unemployment rife - and more than enough here already on the dole ....how is Melbourne expected to accommodate these people - IF - these applications are granted???? Beats me ???
Very very true Foxy, you've got it right there
The dual citizens of Geece including the Prime Minister obviously have the right to return .
I think the 200,000 immigrants places we have a year , should be put up for Auction we should only bring in those who are a beBefit not a cost ..
The greeks being greeks would find any rort to not pay tax and this is the result of their dishonesty to the system.
Working along side greeks here I found them very unaustralian.....would not go to an aussie dentist or a lawyer but sought out a greek dishonest one. They dug their own grave RIP.
The reality is that there are 2 sides to every story. Having been to Greece 6 weeks ago we noted that the coffee shops were always full and the subway had peak hour around lunchtime.
Whilst it is sad that those at the end of the food chain always get hit (the wealthy have been taking their money out for the last year) the reality is that other people in Europe are picking up losses because the Greeks expect everybody else to pay. The fact that they want out on their debts should come as no surprise to anyone.
This Greek tragedy is the prime example of what happens when you have corrupt deadbeat governments and people keep voting them in. Sound familiar?
The Greeks have a structural problem with their Governments and Administration being corrupt .
It wasn't helped by having Socialist governments for so long , as Maggie said Socialists eventually run out of other people's money...
Yes, unfortunatly that is correct. A good lesson to be learnt "you cannot live on borrowed money for ever"....the piper eventually has to be paid.
Apparently the government there wants about 30% (I think it is could be more) of the huge debt written off.
I think you will find that Greece wants to repay nothing....but maybe no money in the banks might force a compromise.
How much Australian pension money was sent to Greece, per year, for duel citizens'?.
Was that lost ?
...good point Seth ..but surely the pension would be paid directly into the recipients bank account? .... how many citizens residing o/seas not only receive a "whole" pension from our Govt. but what about the thousands (given the dual citiz.) - who receive a "part-pension"?? - and I'm not just talking Greeks in this instance... I believe a "part-pension" is paid to many Nationalities who prefer to live o/seas.
How is it lost Seth ..The Australian pension is means tested and if pensioners choose to live in a country where their money goes further why should we deny them that right .
I know of several who chose to live in Bali..
I thought I was clear....if the pensioner cannot withdraw the money now, was it gone for good now?
Hypothetically the Australian govt has either transferred the pensions to an Australian bank account which you can draw on world wide so the pensioners would be OK
Or they have transferred the pensions to a Greek bank . At the moment their are restrictions on ATM draw downs of I think 90 bucks a day .
If the Greek banks went bust then the pensioners could loose out .
But highly unlikely ...
The big losers would be Eurozone Taxpayers ..Who have lent the Greeks billions...
Greeks are most likely to get what has been term a "haircut". That is what Cyprus called stealing half of the funds over 100 000 euros in these accounts....used to recapitalise banks.
We have the same poison waiting for. It is in the APRA documentation. I have siad this a couple of times but people choose not to listen until the day comes. I imagine ordinary Greeks did the same. Good luck!
Yes, that is correct Foxy. Many choose to live overseas and the Aussie pension money is spent there and not here (much to the constenation of government).
I would love to know how much money has, over the years, been secreted in Greek bank accounts prior to people reaching pension age and then departing our shores. How would our government know how much people have in assets over there....easy to hide I would imagine.
Greece is a beautiful country, great culture and civilization
Melbourne is richer for having such a large greek population
Let them all come home !!!
No one is disputing the fact that the Greek immigrants brought their culture/restaurants/lifestyle etc. to Melbourne .....and Melbourne is well known for it's multiculturalism and diversity.
Quote: "Let them all come home"??? They are already home! In Greece!!
You have changed nephew,Denzel, softened, gone are the days when you would stand at the corner, yelling go home you greek invader, so it is nice you have learned from all my instruction aganst racism.
Foxy: are you quoting Sarah Hanson Young? That is her policy solution methinks.
I loved Greece and I loved the Greek people I met when I was idling my youth away on Corfu in my early twenties. Had many Greek friends when I lived in Darwin...plenty up there.
Just remembered that on the 4th July. 45 years ago I was working as a "hostess" in a place called the Spiders Web on Corfu.
Noooo, Foxy................. I was not one of those types of "hostesses". We just had to chat up the customers and get them to buy drinks...to be honest I have only a hazy memory of it and I think I probably lasted one or two nights.
It was all very proper!
Why implicate my name in your "comment"? I'm one of the most open-minded non-bigotted - non-homophobic - non-racist - "with-it" and among the coolest people on this site! Nothing much phases me! lol lol ...to each his own ......you sound like you have some great stories to tell - lol - we all have a "story" no doubt? and some "fun" ones at that! :-) :-)
P.S. I also visited the Greek Isles. in my late 20's ....fantastic !!!
Hey Foxy....I was just being silly ....I was thinking "I bet Foxy will come back and say "what sort of hostess Raddy" nudge, nudge, wink wink.
Sorry, if you took offence none was intended ;)...it was just a light hearted comment 
Greeks are lovely people and Australia is richer for having many living here. When I was in Greece quite a few years ago though it was commonly said that "Australian Greeks work too hard". They have got themselves into this mess with no small help from their previous governments. They will never be able to repay their debt and in my view will be better off to vote "No".
And leave their creditores to make a loss. Sounds like what all dishonest people do.
I have sympathy for their plight and they are obviously on a hiding to nowhere. However I do support their right to independance.
However I do not think it is our responsibility to "pick up the pieces" as they think they have to right to now move over here. Since when was it Australia's duty to "save the whole bloody world " ??????
Time to solve your own problems Greece, stand on your own two feet and for the Greek people to take responsibility for their own actions and inactions.
Yeah Australians too...
That is the truth Auction Girl. We all do and long over-due that the do gooders think about the future of our children, not those who have caused their own demise from bad choices which they made.
To give some perspective to the size of Greece; I heard a commentator say this morning that it is the around the same size of Victoria.
In 2013 the population was just over 11 million.
Greece represents 0.2 per cent of the world economy . Doesn't matter much what happens there .
Don't be ridiculous, of course it matters, to financial institutions all over the world and affects shares globally. In addition, if Greece has its debt cancelled sothat Greeks can continue living their make believe lifestyles, other countries in the Eurozone, who have huge debts e.g. France, Spain, Italy, Portugal will feel, they should have their cancelled too. Portugal is having big problems too, but I dont hear them making crazy demands..
Why does it affect Financial institutions all over the world ...
Domino effect, domino effect Pete, have a squint at The Economist and Business Insider etc
0nly 17 per cent of Greek Debt is owed to private banks . The rest is owed to taxpayers in the Eurozone and the U.S. ..
To put the Greek economy in perspective China creates an economy the size of Greece every three months ...
Greece needs to do what Iceland did.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZOiIOKsS00
Yes Radish, I had tears in my eyes when I saw this on the ABC news site. I feel so much for the OLD pensioners in Greece (NOT THOSE WHO ARE IN THEIR FIFTIES). In my opinion they should still be working not pensioners.
Makes me wish I knew someone who I could send some non perishable groceries too. Those that don't have anyone from overseas that can send to them.
Although I can't understand why he couldn't get the money out as pensioners were supposed to be able to get some out of the banks. He went to 4 banks and they all refused. Maybe because it was his wife's pension and she had to go get her own.
So many oldies who just won't understand. People here who are Greek with old relatives could send food parcels. Just like we did during the war to Britain.