Not necessarily.
An “Australian resident” is a person who lives in Australia and

• is an Australian citizen, or
• holds a permanent visa, or
• is a New Zealand citizen who holds a “Protected Special Category Visa” 

If you are unsure about your visa, contact the Department of Immigration.

As well as being an “Australian resident’, you must “reside” in Australia to qualify for a Centrelink payment.

This is about where you actually live and where you plan to live in the future.

Your links to Australia can be shown by factors such as:

• accommodation
• bank accounts
• work or business
• family ties
• the length of time spent overseas

• Generally, you can go overseas for up to 6 weeks without your payment being cancelled. There are exceptions to this rule. Contact Centrelink for more information.
• You must tell Centrelink about your trip before you go.
• If you take several, lengthy trips overseas, Centrelink may decide that you don’t actually “reside” in Australia.

• Although you qualify for a payment, you may find that it still isn’t payable as you have a “newly-arrived residents’ waiting period” (NARWP).
  • The NARWP is usually 2 years (104 weeks).
  • You cannot serve the waiting period while outside Australia.
  • Any period you are overseas after the waiting period starts will be added on.
  • There are exceptions. For example, refugees may be exempt from the NARWP.
• This is the period of time you have to wait before you can receive a Centrelink payment.
• The rules are complex.
• When you claim a payment, Centrelink will tell you if you have a waiting period.
• If you disagree, you can appeal. 

The rules are very complex.

You can claim a payment to test if there is an exemption.

Exemptions may apply to:

• Refugees and their family members
• Family members of Australian citizens
• Family members of someone who has been a “permanent resident” for at least 2 years.
• Sole parents
• Australian citizens

For further information:

• See Factsheet: Newly Arrived Residents and Social Security
• Contact your local Welfare Rights Centre

• You must have lived in Australia as a permanent resident for a certain number of years before you are eligible for some payments.
• This is different to the Newly Arrived Residents’ Waiting Period.
• There are exceptions. The rules are very complex.
• Some “International Social Security Agreements” allow you to include residence in another country.
  • You will need to check the details of the particular agreement.
  • See the Centrelink website for details of each Agreement.

• Exemptions vary according to the payment claimed.
• The rules are very complex.
• If you are uncertain about the rules, claim a payment to test if there is an exemption.

• These Agreements share the cost of supporting a person amongst the countries in which they have lived.
• You only need to rely on an Agreement if you do not meet the usual residence or contribution requirements.
• You may be able to add periods of residence in different countries to enable you to qualify for a payment.
  • Australia has International Social Security Agreements with:
    • Austria
    • Belgium
    • Canada
    • Chile
    • Croatia
    • Cyprus
    • Denmark
    • Finland
    • Germany
    • Greece
    • Republic of Ireland
    • Italy
    • Japan
    • Republic of Korea
    • Malta
    • the Netherlands
    • New Zealand
    • Norway
    • Portugal
    • Slovenia
    • Spain
    • Switzerland
    • the United States of America (USA)

• Each Agreement is different and the rules are complex.
• For further information:
  • Contact Centrelink or
  • your local Welfare Rights Centre

• Migrants for whom a payment is not “payable” due to a “waiting period” may be eligible for Special Benefit.
• The rules about visas and residence are very complex.
• You can test your eligibility for Special Benefit by making a claim.
• Special Benefit is for people who are:
  • in severe financial hardship, and
  • are not able to earn enough to support themselves and their dependents for reasons outside their control, and
  • cannot get any other payment from Centrelink and
  • meet residence requirements

• If you are a member of a couple and only one of you is eligible for a Social Security payment, it can be paid at the single rate in some circumstances.
• Apply to Centrelink for the single rate to be paid “under Section 24 of the Social Security Act”.  

• If you are granted a payment which is covered by the Assurance of Support, the person who signed it will owe a debt to Centrelink
• Contact Centrelink for advice if your assuror cannot provide you with support or refuses to do so.

You can appeal.

• Factsheet: Newly Arrived Residents and Social Security
• Factsheet: Appeals – how to appeal against a Centrelink decision
• On this site: Disagree with Centrelink?
• Contact your local Welfare Rights Centre
• See Centrelink