Australia currently has 32 bilateral international social security agreements.
All these agreements are based on the concept of shared responsibility. Shared responsibility agreements are reciprocal. Partner countries under each agreement make concessions against their social security qualification rules so that people covered by the agreement may access payments for which they might otherwise fail to qualify. In this way, responsibility for social security is shared between the countries where a person has lived during their working years and the person is able to unlock potential entitlements. Generally, a pension from one country can be accessed in the second country, although the paying country maintains some discretion in the currency and delivery mechanisms used.
Under these agreements, Australia equates social insurance periods/residence in those countries with periods of Australian residence in order to meet the minimum qualifying periods for Australian pensions. The other countries generally count periods of Australian working life residence as periods of social insurance in order to meet their minimum qualifying periods for payment. Usually, each country will pay a part pension to a person who has lived in both countries.
For more information on claim procedures and payments under an agreement:
For policy information, contact the Department of Social Services.
For more information on whether an agreement can assist seconded workers, contact the Australian Taxation Office.