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3.5 Residency

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Last amended 
24 May 2018
Overview

Residency means to live or dwell in a place permanently or for a considerable time.

One of the basic requirements when lodging a claim for service pension, income support supplement (ISS) or veteran payment, is that the person lodging the claim, or the person on whose behalf the claim is lodged, is an Australian resident and is physically present in Australia at the time of claim.

A person not residing in Australia, who is already in receipt of certain types of pension, may be eligible to transfer to ISS or a service pension.

An additional requirement to have been an Australian resident for a continuous period of ten years applies to Commonwealth and Allied veterans and Allied mariners.  However, if such a person is a refugee, former refugee, or became permanently incapacitated while an Australian resident, the ten-year requirement does not apply.

A concession to the ten-year requirement can be applied where a person has multiple periods of residency, each of which is less than ten years.  In such cases a formula is used to calculate the minimum period of residency acceptable.

Members of the forces of a Commonwealth or Allied country, must establish their domicile to be eligible to claim disability compensation payment and related medical benefits and extra medical benefits associated with the service pension.

 

See Also


 

 

A service pension is an income support payment broadly equivalent to the social security age and disability support pensions. It may be paid once a veteran or partner has reached the nominated age or is incapacitated for work.

ISS is an income support payment that may be paid to eligible war widows and widowers under the VEA and persons receiving wholly dependent partners' compensation under the MRCA, and who satisfy the means tests. It is an indexed rate, increased twice-yearly in March and September in line with changes to the cost of living and/or average wages. Income Support Supplement (ISS) legislation commenced on 20 March 1995. It is a payment created to replace the ceiling rate income support age, carer, wife and disability support pensions, paid to war widows/widowers by Centrelink.

 

 

ISS is an income support payment that may be paid to eligible war widows and widowers under the VEA and persons receiving wholly dependent partners' compensation under the MRCA, and who satisfy the means tests. It is an indexed rate, increased twice-yearly in March and September in line with changes to the cost of living and/or average wages. Income Support Supplement (ISS) legislation commenced on 20 March 1995. It is a payment created to replace the ceiling rate income support age, carer, wife and disability support pensions, paid to war widows/widowers by Centrelink.

 

 

An Australian resident is a person who:

  • resides in Australia; and
  • is one of the following:
  • an Australian citizen;
  • the holder of a permanent visa;
  • the holder of a special category visa who is likely to remain permanently in Australia;
  • the holder of a special purpose visa who is likely to remain permanently in Australia.

Australia is defined in the Acts Interpretations Act 1901 and includes the following territories and Islands:

  • Christmas Island
  • Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Subsection 5Q(1) of the VEA provides specifically that the definition of Australia includes the external territories for many VEA purposes including Part III, IIIAB, some parts of Part IIIB, Parts IIID, VIIA, VIIC and sections 52ZO, 58A, and 132.  Norfolk Island is currently the only external territory of Australia. For the above VEA sections, which cover service pension, [glossary:income support supplement:118], pension bonus, pension loans scheme, Veterans supplement, pension supplement and Commonwealth Seniors Health Card purposes it is considered to be part of Australia. The test of residing in Australia does not by itself satisfy the full definition of Australian Resident, as residency also requires Australian citizenship or the holding of a specified visa.

Papua New Guinea and Nauru have both previously been external territories of Australia.  Lord Howe Island and Macquarie Island, formerly regarded as separate islands, are now part of mainland NSW and Tasmania respectively.