8 June 2007

Population jumps 5000 overnight

| Gungahlin Al
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666 had a guy from the ABS on (yesterday, while RA took the ACT-traditional early start to their long weekend) talking about how they’ve revised the ACT population stats, and that this resulted in an upward revision of the number by 5,000 to 336,000.

Apparently lots of people don’t actually change their addresses when they move here, and they are concerned that there are actually a lot more they can’t account for.

The ACT government apparently also set aside a couple hundred Ks in their budget to encourage people to at least change their Medicare address, because ABS adds that onto their number to get closer to the real figure (because Medicare asks for your address EVERY SINGLE time you make a claim…)

Why are the real numbers so important? Because it goes into calculating the ACT’s share of the GST kitty.

They don’t appear to have twigged that – for Queenslanders anyway – not changing your address means keeping WAY cheaper car rego, and that just being more reasonable with the rego costs here might make as big a difference. Been wondering why there are so many Qld plated cars around Canberra. Pity I didn’t twig to that until after I transferred my cars…

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A car should be registered and insured at the address where it is garaged. It really does get messy in cases like yours ant. You are right about comprehensive insurance it does get to the point where you are better off ‘insuring’ yourself, but always have third party property, which contary to what some people thing is not the same as CTP.

Well, the car is “owned” by someone in the ACT (although I paid for it), and registered in their name, and I insure it. The insurance company knows the owner as they are party to the insurance, correspondance for which goes to their house, but the garaging address is my addrss in NSW. So it’d be interesting if it became an issue.

I was going to give up on comprehensive insurance, having never needed it, and now the car is not worth much (it’s 13 years old!) and the insurance premiums are higher than they were before the insurance whatever-it-was a few years back that caused us all to pay more. But third party property would cost almost the same as the full comprehensive, so I kept the comprehensive. We are being rorted.

VYBerlinaV8 now_with_added grunt7:00 am 09 Jun 07

JC makes a good point. In the long run it’s better to be correctly registered and insured for everyone’s sake.

VYBerlinaV8 now_with_added grunt6:52 am 09 Jun 07

Hey ant – you only get your car inspected after it’s 4 years old or older. Everything else, including TPI and rego renewal is all done online. Even the inspection report goes to the RTA electronically. I make a habit of renewing my comprehensive insurance at the same time.

Incidentally – is the number of people with comprehensive insurance dropping? I know a few people now who drive relatively good cars (15k + in value) who don’t have comprehensive. I wouldn’t venture out of the driveway without it!

To all those with their cars registered you may as well not have your can insured. See it is law you must change within 3 months of moving interstate (or within the state). If you don’t tell them then if you have an accident you are technicaly not insured as you lied to your insurer. Don’t belive me? Well ask one of my neighbours who was in an accident having kept his old states rego. He is now paying off $10,000 worth of repairs for the car he hit as well as the repairs on his own car, because he didn’t discolse his change of state and address. Luckly the other person wasn’t injured, as the CTP wouldn’t have been valid either for the same reason.

A quick Google indicates that I would be paying about $200 less if I bought my TPI from a NSW insurer than the NRMA in ACT, using a postcode that crosses the border.

That is a hell of a diference!

Sonic – Justify it!

What kickback does your party get from this ripoff?

Roughly, how much cheaper is NSW than ACT for rego? I’ve kept my car regoed in the ACT because the convenience of just doing a BPay and your rego sticker turns up in the mail (for years I’ve renewed it from the US, and had it waiting for me to stick on the car when I arrive from the airport!). Doesn’t NSW make you go and have the car looked-at? That, plus getting a TPI must be a major pain in the bum, surely?

i refuse to fillout ABS nosey parker forms.

So Bonfire, you didn’t complete your Census form last year? and the ABS didn’t catch you??

Just so you know, the ABS can ask (demand) you to complete a form under the Census & Statistics Act – Yes, its the law!

Another point is that the ACT’s population only needs to increase by about 11,000 (relative to the rest of the country) to qualify for a third Federal MP.

And we want to encourage that??

VYBerlinaV8 now_with_added grunt4:55 pm 08 Jun 07

NSW rego is cheaper for the simple reason that the rego charge does not include the compulsory third party personal insurance. The problem in ACT is that everyone gets charged the same rate for the insurance component – the highest rate (ie 17 year old male driving a V8 type level). Over in NSW, we (yes, it includes me) get to choose our own ‘green slip’ provider – meaning competition lowers the cost for many people. Once you have a decent driving record, the cost of the green slip is much lower.

I am a Jedi.

i refuse to fillout ABS nosey parker forms.

never have – never will.

No other blog to make the smart-alec comment I heard at lunch, so ttally off the point – Paris Hilton, the American Mandela.

Several people I have talked to suggest that even with having to get a rego check each year, and seperate insurance, NSW rego is cheaper. If I could be bothered I’m sure some quick googleing could give an answer.

Another point is that the ACT’s population only needs to increase by about 11,000 (relative to the rest of the country) to qualify for a third Federal MP.

If all of these 5,000 updated their electoral enrollment, we would be about half way there.

it took me about 4 years to change from my tassie plates. tassie rego is way cheaper than here, but it was more laziness than anything else as the reason for me having interstate plates. but surely NSW rego (with having to get the 3 slips) would be more $$ than ACT rego?

I have worked with several grads in two fed govt departments, who have all kept their interstate addresses. Partly because they are in ‘wait and see’ mode re job prospects in Canberra, and let’s face it, it’s a hassle changing everything when you might move back (to Adelaide or wherever). Their Mum just forwards their mail. It’s part of the ‘keeping options open’ Gen Y thing.

And the NSW plates…

And here’s me thinking they were all over from Queanbeyan…

Interesting, I was wondering why all the Qld cars too!

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