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\nBright was the day but my heart was grey when I sallied forth again to do battle with Medicare<\/a> Burwood. <\/p>\n \nTwice had I queued in the carpeted purgatory on the top floor of Westfield<\/a>, and twice had I been thrown back by the gatekeepers of the Sacred Plastic. This time, however, I was armed with a phone number and a name of someone at head office, who promised to wield the Flaming Pen of Bureaucratic Smackdown if I was given any more shit.<\/p>\n \nI told the damsel at the desk that I had lived in the UK immediately prior to coming to Australia and I needed a new RHCA card. I gave her my passport. I said I’d changed visa class, and it was purely electronic and therefore there was no stamp in my passport, but look\u2014here’s the email. And she got up to get her manager and I said “Bring her out here, and call this number, and speak to this person.”<\/p>\n \nAnd the manager did come out, and saith “Look, it says NZ Citizen”. And I said yes, I am the spouse of an NZ Citizen, but I’m not one. And she saith “Look, it says NZ Citizen”. And I said “(Family Relationship)”. And she saith “Look, it says NZ Citizen” and I didst refrain from inflicting violence but told her to just call the number, and they’d sort it.<\/p>\n \n“Call the number,” saith the Manager to her minion, “and talk to Michelle.”<\/p>\n \n“No!” I said. “Call the number and talk to Jalisa<\/em>. As it says on the piece of paper.”<\/p>\n \nAnd the damsel did call, and she saith into the telephone, “Hello Michelle, can I talk to Jalisa, please?” and I resisted the urge to punch the air and shout “Score!”.<\/p>\n \nFive minutes later the Manager had slunk back to her lair, the fair damsel was all smiles, and I had my receipt. “It’s confusing,” she said, “because it says NZ Citizen.”<\/p>\n \n“(Family Relationship),” said I, but very quietly.<\/p>\n \n Bright was the day but my heart was grey when I sallied forth again to do battle with Medicare Burwood. Twice had I queued in the carpeted purgatory on the top floor of Westfield, and twice had I been thrown … Continue reading ![\"not](\"http:\/\/rg-d.com\/nature\/mc.jpg\")
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