The Guides to Social Policy Law is a collection of publications designed to assist decision makers administering social policy law. The information contained in this publication is intended only as a guide to relevant legislation/policy. The information is accurate as at the date listed at the bottom of the page, but may be subject to change. To discuss individual circumstances please contact Services Australia.

10.11.100 Austrian glossary

Introduction

This section contains a list of terms used in and applicable to the Agreement with Austria.

Benefit

Benefit, for Australia, means a pension, benefit or allowance payable under Australian social security legislation as specified in Article 2 of the Agreement. This includes Age, and in some cases CP, DSP, DOP and PPS. It also includes any additional amount or increase that is payable to a person who qualifies for that increase, including pension supplement and RA for people inside Australia. Any additional amounts are subject to the portability restrictions of the SSAct for people outside Australia.

Note: Although listed as Australian benefits covered in Article 2 of the Agreement, from 20 March 2020, WP, WidB and BVA ceased. Recipients of these payments were transferred to another payment, such as Age, where eligible.

Benefit, for Austria, means a pension, benefit or allowance payable under Austrian Social Welfare Acts as specified in Article 2 of the Agreement.

More information on Austrian benefits is available from:

Carer payment

Under the Agreement with Austria, CP can only be paid to the partner of an Age or DSP recipient. That partner must have been an Australian resident at some time.

Disability support pension

The original Agreement covered DSP for both the severely disabled and the non-severely disabled. When that Agreement was revised, from 1 October 2002, new grants of DSP outside Australia and indefinite portability of DSP were restricted to persons who were severely disabled. Non-severely disabled recipients in Austria granted under the original Agreement were grandfathered and remain eligible. The current Agreement continues to cover DSP for non-severely disabled persons, for claimants in Australia only.

Double orphan pension

Under the Agreement with Austria, DOP is payable in respect of a young person whose sole surviving parent dies while the young person was an Australian resident.

Both the young person and the person claiming DOP must be residents of Austria. The latter does not need to have any former Australian residence.

Parenting payment (single)

Under the Agreement with Austria, PPS can be paid only to widowed persons (male or female) who stop being partnered persons because of the death of their partner. It does not include someone who has a new partner.

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