May 9, 2017 
Residency requirements for those looking to make a claim for the Age Pension or Disability Support Pension will increase.
Currently, to claim an Age or Disability Support Pension a person must meet the 10-year residency requirement, which must include a period of five years continuous residency.
From 1 July 2018 the residency requirement will increase to 10 years continuous residency, with a period of five years of this residency being during their working life (from 16 years of age to Age Pension age).
For those who do not meet the five-year working life residency requirement, they must have 10 years continuous residency and not have received an activity tested income support payment (such as Newstart Allowance) for a cumulative period of more than five years.
If an individual cannot meet the above requirements, they must have 15 years of continuous residency.
