Supplementary Explanatory Memorandum
(Circulated by the authority of the Treasurer, the Hon Scott Morrison MP)Chapter 3 Newly arrived resident's waiting period (Chapter 10)
Outline of chapter
There are no amendments to the text of the Budget Savings (Omnibus) Bill 2016 for Schedule 10 - Newly Arrived Resident's Waiting Period. However, this supplementary explanatory memorandum provides an opportunity to clarify and explain the contingency available for all newly arrived residents to access social security, in the form of special benefit, if they are suffering financial hardship and suffer a substantial change of circumstances beyond their control after they have first entered Australia.
Special benefit is payment for persons who are in severe financial hardship, are unable to support themselves or their dependants and are unable to receive another social security payment.
New subsection 739A(7) of the Social Security Act, as amended by item 42 of Schedule 10 to this Bill, provides that the newly arrived resident's waiting period for special benefit will not apply if in the Secretary's opinion, the person has suffered a substantial change of circumstances beyond their control after they have first entered Australia. This provision therefore provides a contingency that allows all newly arrived residents to access special benefit if they are in financial hardship and have suffered a substantial change of circumstances beyond their control after they have first entered Australia.