Social Security Point-in-Time Service Updates

Tuesday 21 August 2018 @ 10.36 a.m.

The Social Security Point-in-Time Service has been updated to include the amendments from the National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse (Consequential Amendments) Act 2018 (Cth) (Act 46 of 2018) and the Social Services Legislation Amendment (Payments for Carers) Act 2018 (Cth) (Act 68 of 2018).

Act 46 of 2018

This Act provides for consequential amendments to be made to Commonwealth legislation for the purpose of the new National Redress Scheme for Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse ("the Scheme").
Amendments to the Social Security Act 1991 and the Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986 will ensure the payments are not income tested, and so will not reduce the income support payments of survivors as a consequence of receiving a payment under the Scheme.
In addition, amendments are to be made to the Bankruptcy Act 1966 to ensure payments are quarantined from the divisible property of a bankrupt person. 
This Act will also exempt decisions made under the Scheme from judicial review under the Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act 1977. This amendment will ensure the Scheme remains survivor focused and trauma informed by maintaining the principles that the Scheme be a low threshold and non-legalistic process for survivors who have already suffered so much.
The Act will also include an amendment to the Freedom of Information Act 1982. This amendment will ensure that ‘protected information’ would not be required to be disclosed under that Act.
The Act will amend Schedule 1 of the Age Discrimination Act 2004 to allow the exclusion of children applying to the Scheme if they will not turn 18 throughout the life of the Scheme.

Act 68 of 2018

The Act amends the Social Security Act 1991 to introduce an income test for Carer Allowance and the Carer Allowance (child) Health Care Card only.
Carer Allowance is a fortnightly income supplement of $127.10 that is paid to carers who qualify. To date, an income test has not been applied to Carer Allowance. Unlike most other social security payments, Carer Allowance is not targeted at those most in need of support, with eligibility extending to high income earners who are not in real need of financial support.
To better target those most in need, and to improve the long term sustainability of the welfare system, a family income test of $250,000 per annum would be applied to Carer Allowance and the Carer Allowance (child) Health Care Card only. Carers with an annual income of less than $250,000 would continue to be eligible.

The amendments made by these Acts have been updated in the Point-in-Time Social Security Service current to 21 August 2018. (NB: Subscription required).

If you are not already a subscriber to this or other Point-in-Time Services then please contact us to find out more or to take a free trial