WAITING on hold or in line for Centrelink is never pleasant, however some pax may have slightly enjoyed this mix-up. According to the Cruise Critic Australia forum, an immigration glitch resulted in thousands of cruise passengers marked as still being overseas, which led to their welfare and concession entitlements being...
WAITING on hold or in line for
Centrelink is never pleasant,
however some pax may have
slightly enjoyed this mix-up.
According to the Cruise Critic
Australia forum, an immigration
glitch resulted in thousands of
cruise passengers marked as
still being overseas, which led
to their welfare and concession
entitlements being suspended.
The cruise in question was a
Diamond Princess sailing from
Bali to Sydney, which docked at
the OPT on 27 Mar.
Officials failed to correctly file
the arrival cards, meaning the
pax were still listed as being
onboard the ship and therefore
still on their holidays…or at least
not returning to Australia.
One passenger was unable to
collect important medication
due to the bungle, resulting in a
two-hour call to Centrelink.
