Scott Ryan (Victoria, Liberal Party, Special Minister of State) Share this | Hansard source

I again thank Senator Leyonhjelm for the notice that allowed me to get some information on this. On a personal level, I am not entirely sure I am well qualified to answer that. Australia's welfare system is based on residency, with access to taxpayer funded payments generally restricted to citizens and to permanent residents. This includes waiting periods for newly arrived permanent residents before access to most income support payments and qualifying periods for the age pension and DSP, including the changes I have just outlined.

The community expects that migrants to Australia should be self-sufficient or rely on family members for support. They should not expect to be supported by Australian taxpayers, particularly if they arrive close to retirement age or have been a long-term recipient of an activity-tested payment such as the Newstart allowance. In line with these expectations, the government will reinforce the residency based nature of Australia's pension system by increasing the residency requirements to qualify, as I outlined in my earlier answer.