E 11 B A R GO : Not for releasa before 6 pmi on 30 January 1972.
-TAW I
FOR PRESS PM. No. 8/ 1972
PAYMENT OF PENSIO14S OVERSEAS
Statement by the Prime Minister, I4r William 74cMahon
My Government has decided to accept the principle
of payment of pensions overseas,
It had before it a submission from the Minister for
Social Services ( Mr Wentworth) and the report of an Interdepartmental
Committee which was completed late last year.
we decided that ago, invalidi and widows' pensions
3hould be pay. able in those overseascutiswihmk orsodn
arrangements for their own pensions to be payable in Australia.
in order to qualify for payment of his pension
overseas, the pens. ioner in Australia will be required to have livE~ d
here for at least 2-0 yoars after reaching the age of 16. However,
in the case of invali,! pensions, where invalidity arises from an
accident or cdisea; which occurred in Australia, there will be no
such resi-ential rcuir0TRrnt. Firailariy, where a husband has died
in Australia, the widow will. ab. to take her pension a1, road
irrespective of her period of residcnce in Austredia.
The Goviernment has thus accepteod the principle that
where. a pe rson has contribut-ed to thre life of the C'! uqtra'ian community,
his pension rights should be portable overseas.
Leqislation to give 7-ffect-to this decision will be
introduced into the Parliament early this year, and we shall
endeavour to have it passed as soon as possible. It will then
operate in any countrie~ s which have concluded the reciprocal arrangements
tD which T have referred.
Discussions relating to the possibility of appropriate
reciprocity in social security have at different times since 1967*
beien held with representatives of Yugoslavia, Italy, Malta, West
Oermany and Turkey. The subject has also ' ieen raised from time to
time in discussions ', 14th other countries.
2-
In order to obviate unnecessary delay in concluding
arrangements, I have asked the DYiinister for Social Services to
begin forthwith his negotiations with representatives from
countries from whom our migrants have come. He will be in
consultation with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the
Minister for Immigration in these negotiations.
Arrangements to make Australian pensions payable
overseas will be made as soon as it is possible to reach agreement
with a particular country.
The policy which we have now approved is the result
of quite considerable investigations which took place last year,
and follows principles which are gaining international acceptance.
Australian development owes much to our migrants
intake in the decades since the War. Some of these will, of
course, wish to return home in the evening of their life, and they
should feel free to do so if they so choose. But I believe that
most of them now see Australia as their true home,. and will not
want to leave us.
The new privileges of pension portability are not,
of course, confined to migrants. They will be ope-n to all holders,
of Australian Social Service pensions, wherever they may have been
born, who go to countries which make the appropriate reciprocal
arrangements with Australia.
CAN.' BERRA,
January, 1972.