The Social Security (Australia) Order (Northern Ireland) 1992

Part IV Sickness Benefits and Invalidity Benefits

ARTICLE 12 Australian Sickness Benefit

Where a person who is temporarily absent from any part of the territory of the United Kingdom and who is legally in Australia claims sickness benefit under the legislation of Australia, that person shall, for the purpose of that claim, be deemed to be an Australian resident.

ARTICLE 13 UK Sickness Benefit and Invalidity Benefit

(1) Where a person who is permanently resident in the territory of the United Kingdom and is ordinarily gainfully occupied, or would be, but for his or her incapacity for work, claims sickness or invalidity benefit under the legislation of the relevant part of that territory, then, for the purpose of calculating entitlement to those benefits, periods during which that person was in Australia shall be treated in accordance with the provisions of this Article.

(2) For the purpose of calculating entitlement under the legislation of Great Britain, Northern Ireland or the Isle of Man to sickness or invalidity benefit:

(a) periods of gainful occupation completed in Australia before 6 April 1975 shall be treated as if they had been contribution or equivalent periods completed under the legislation of Great Britain, Northern Ireland or the Isle of Man; and

(b) periods completed as a self-employed person in Australia after 5 April 1975 shall be treated as if they had been contribution periods completed as a self-employed person or equivalent periods completed under the legislation of Great Britain, Northern Ireland or the Isle of Man.

(3) For the purpose of calculating an earnings factor for assessing entitlement to sickness or invalidity benefit under the legislation of Great Britain, Northern Ireland or the Isle of Man, a person shall be treated for each week beginning in a relevant tax year, during which he or she was an employed person in Australia, as follows:

(a) for each week commencing on or after 6 April 1975 and up to 5 April 1987, as having a contribution paid as an employed earner on earnings equivalent to two-thirds of that year’s upper earnings limit; and

(b) for each week beginning in a relevant tax year commencing on or after 6 April 1987, as having earnings on which primary Class 1 contributions have been paid. These earnings shall be treated as equivalent to two-thirds of that year’s upper earnings limit.

(4) For the purpose of calculating entitlement under the legislation of Guernsey to sickness or invalidity benefit:

(a) periods during which a person was gainfully occupied as an employed person in Australia shall be treated as if they had been contribution or equivalent periods completed as an employed person under the legislation of Guernsey; and

(b) periods during which a person was gainfully occupied as a self-employed person in Australia shall be treated as if they had been contribution or equivalent periods completed as a self-employed person under the legislation of Guernsey.

(5) For the purpose of calculating entitlement under the legislation of Jersey to any benefit in accordance with this Article, a person shall be treated:

(a) for each week completed during residence in Australia between the ages of sixteen years and sixty-five years being a week in the relevant quarter, as having paid contributions which derive a quarterly contribution factor of 0.077 for that quarter;

(b) for each week completed during residence in Australia between the ages of sixteen years and sixty-five years being a week in a relevant year, as having paid contributions which derive an annual contribution factor of 0.0193 for that year.

(6) For the purpose of calculating entitlement under the legislation of the relevant part of the territory of the United Kingdom to sickness or invalidity benefit, a person shall be treated as if he or she had had earnings or contributions credited to him or her:

(a) as an employed person for any week during which he or she was in Australia and was unemployed and available for work or was incapable of work, if that week was part of a period during which he or she was or would ordinarily have been employed; and

(b) as a self-employed person for any other week during which he or she was in Australia and was incapable of work, if that week was part of a period during which he or she was or would ordinarily have been self-employed.

(7) Where a person who is permanently resident in the territory of the United Kingdom was receiving a sickness benefit, an invalid pension, a sheltered employment allowance or a rehabilitation allowance under the legislation of Australia when he or she was last in Australia and is incapable of work at the time when he or she arrives in the territory of the United Kingdom, he or she shall be treated under the legislation of the United Kingdom as if, at that time and for so long as he or she continues from that time to be incapable of work, he or she satisfied the contribution conditions under which sickness or invalidity benefit is payable.

(8) For the purpose of any claim to invalidity benefit under the legislation of the United Kingdom, any period in respect of which a person received sickness benefit or an invalid pension under the legislation of Australia shall be treated as if it were a period of entitlement to sickness benefit or invalidity benefit completed under the legislation of the United Kingdom.

(9) Nothing in this Article shall diminish any right which a person has, apart from this Agreement, to receive sickness or invalidity benefit under the legislation of the United Kingdom.

(10) Where a person is entitled to receive a benefit by virtue of the provisions of this Article, the rate of benefit which he or she would otherwise be entitled to receive, but for this paragraph, shall be reduced by the amount of benefit which is payable by virtue of the legislation of Australia in accordance with the provisions of Article 8(7).