May 9, 2017 
13 Comments 
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.
Janelle Ward
Will Brodie
Lucy Patarcic
Ellie Baxter
YourLifeChoices Writers
Liz Connor
Pursuit
Fair enough. Why should our taxes pay to support someone who hasn’t paid tax here?
Does that include the Thousands of Pensioners that have never had a job?
I can see this is a move so that people like immigrants or people who marry Australians from other countries can no longer bring their parents over here so that tax payers can support them. If they want to move here fair enough, but surely the family should take responsibility for them not us! Ive heard many say “Im bringing my parents here, Australian Government is good Government and look after them for me.” What I object to is its not the Government looking after them its the tax payer.
And what about the $15 billion going to non-residents?
I think the $15b is going to non-CITIZENS not non-residents musicveg.
And yes I agree that should be stopped immediately. If people are not committed enough to Australia to take citizenship, then Australia should not be committed enough to them to hand out welfare.
This ruling, according to the Govt website, does NOT apply to economic migrants…..er sorry, refugees I mean They are special and exempt, and yep, they can bring mama n papa as well.
That $15 Billion and non residents musicveg, well there’s a thing eh? Even you make it sound like we are paying people who haven’t paid into the system, what is exactly is the problem with paying a man/woman their age pension when they have worked and paid tax in Australia all their working life??????
Are you aware that many other countries pay their ex nationals age pension overseas? Even if that former citizen has taken out citizenship in their new country? Go ask the Govt and ATO how much pension is saved by these people being made to claim their pensions from their former countries if they put in the 10 or so years to earn one!
Non Resident and Non Citizen are two very different things mate, and if you don’t choose to become a Citizen of Australia, that is get a piece of paper and a passport, does that really alter the fact that you worked here for 40 or 50 years and paid your share of Taxes? I think you will find that a LOT of Europeans helped build this great country and worked hard on the Hydro scheme’s etc.
We expect ALL migrants regardless of citizenship status to claim their foreign pension, so, we must expect to do the same. A lot that you’d be referring to I guess, would be Australians living cheaply in Thailand\Bali\Vietnam etc…..That was what a lot of the fuss on here was about when they reduced pensions payable outside of Australia to 4 week and 6 weeks….
ow we remember
does that mean you can’t go overseas for a holiday for 4 weeks during the 5 years continuous period of work?
A 4 week overseas holiday shouldn’t have any effect on your residency, as you were only temporarily out of the country and had all intentions of returning to live and work here.
It actually does mean that Fredklaus, there is mentioned three (from memory) way’s to qualify. There must be an unbroken continuous period of being in Australia. Though we think it shouldn’t affect us I think you will find it does. It’s all on the Centrelink/mygov website and all very interesting to read, especially how age pensioners are discriminated against IMHO
should be 10 years of residency and 10 years paying taxes
Does anyone know when the new residency requirements etc relating to Pension qualification, will actually come into force.
After it gets through the Senate!
Can you tell me, if one looses their Aged Pension due to the threshold of Assets and Income tests, BUT receives a Pensioner Health Care Card, are they still tied to Centrelink and are they required to inform Centrelink of any changes in their circumstances eg.
a)Change of address or
b)Informing Centrelink when they go overseas and when they return to Australia
I am aware that you cannot use your Pensioner Health Care Card whilst overseas.