Before You Immigrate Understand the Australian Social Security System

Settling in a place like Australia is the desired dream of millions across the globe.

However, before you embark into this dream with greater depth, it is of great importance to understand the social security system in the country. This will provide you with a deeper insight into the functioning of the government with respect to the welfare of the citizens of the country.

In a general perspective, the term social security refers to the structured classification of the various payments that are provided by the Commonwealth Government of Australia towards community wellbeing.

Basically, these payments can be classified into three categories. They are:

1. The security system that is guided towards the income structure of the citizens -like pension, family allowance etc.

2. The health care security system that is known in Australia as ‘Medicare’ and

3. The social security system intended for safeguarding the interests of the society. This include policies for the aged, for children etc.

The Income support provided by the Commonwealth government of Australia includes many schemes few of which are outlined here:

Pension Scheme – provided to men over 65 years and women over 63 years of age. This system has been formulated in a way that it would assure a constant source of income after retirement. The pension facility is available to those who are in dire need of assistance (established by an income test).

The Newstart Allowance - a kind of payment made to unemployed citizens between 21-64 years of age. There are however, several conditions attached to this facility to ensure that the scheme provides maximum benefit only to the deserving.

Youth Allowance - a stipend given to young Australians who are engaged in full-time academic study. Here too, there are certain criteria based on which the payment is provided.

The Health Care Security System features the Medicare facilities by which a fixed part of the individual’s health expenses are paid by the government. The treatment is totally free if undertaken in a public health care centre.

The Medicare system has also been consistent in its efforts to improve the safety levels of the medicines and increasing health awareness among the people.

The Social Welfare schemes that are functioning in Australia are directed towards protecting the interests of the aged and handicapped. There are several nursing homes and care centers that are offered subsidy by the government.

Apart from this, the HACC (Home and Community Care) Program also exists - it offers various services like help-at –home, house-visit nurses etc. All these programs uphold the interests of the elderly and disabled people.

To summarize the entire concept, we may say that the social security system in Australia aims at providing minimum day-to-day living expenses to the well deserving citizens of the country. The welfare standards are decided by the Department of Community Services. A constant evaluation of the system is regarded as an absolute necessity to evoke a favorable response to the constantly varying needs of the society.

Brought to you by the Australian Immigration Experts at Synch1