2013-2014 

 

The Parliament of the 

Commonwealth of Australia 

 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

 

 

 

 

Presented and read a first time 

 

 

 

 

Social Security Legislation Amendment 

(Green Army Programme) Bill 2014 

 

No.      , 2014 

 

(Environment) 

 

 

 

A Bill for an Act to amend the law relating to social 

security, and for related purposes 

   

   

 

 

No.      , 2014 

Social Security Legislation Amendment (Green Army Programme) Bill 

2014 

i 

 

Contents 

1 

Short title ........................................................................................... 1

 

2 

Commencement ................................................................................. 1

 

3 

Schedule(s) ........................................................................................ 2

 

Schedule 1--Amendments

 

3

 

Social Security Act 1991

 

3

 

Social Security (Administration) Act 1999

 

6

 

 

 

 

 

No.      , 2014 

Social Security Legislation Amendment (Green Army Programme) Bill 

2014 

1 

 

A Bill for an Act to amend the law relating to social 

1 

security, and for related purposes 

2 

The Parliament of Australia enacts: 

3 

1  Short title 

4 

 

  This Act may be cited as the Social Security Legislation 

5 

Amendment (Green Army Programme) Act 2014. 

6 

2  Commencement 

7 

 

  This Act commences on 1 July 2014. 

8 

   

   

 

 

2 

Social Security Legislation Amendment (Green Army Programme) Bill 

2014 

No.      , 2014 

 

3  Schedule(s) 

1 

 

  Each Act that is specified in a Schedule to this Act is amended or 

2 

repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule 

3 

concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this Act has effect 

4 

according to its terms. 

5 

Amendments  Schedule 1 

   

 

 

No.      , 2014 

Social Security Legislation Amendment (Green Army Programme) Bill 

2014 

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Schedule 1

--

Amendments 

1 

   

2 

Social Security Act 1991 

3 

1  Subsection 23(1) 

4 

Insert: 

5 

green army allowance means green army allowance paid under the 

6 

Green Army Programme. 

7 

Green Army Programme means the program administered by the 

8 

Commonwealth and known as the Green Army Programme. 

9 

2  After Part 1.3 of Chapter 1 

10 

Insert: 

11 

Part 1.3A--Green Army Programme 

12 

   

13 

38G  Simplified outline of this Part 

14 

If a person is receiving green army allowance under the Green 

15 

Army Programme, a social security benefit or social security 

16 

pension is not payable to the person. 

17 

Certain persons participating in the Green Army Programme will 

18 

not be workers or employees for the purposes of various 

19 

Commonwealth laws (for example, the Fair Work Act 2009). 

20 

If a person is receiving a social security pension and the person's 

21 

partner is receiving green army allowance, some or all of that 

22 

allowance may not be counted as ordinary income in working out 

23 

the person's rate of social security pension. 

24 

Schedule 1  Amendments 

   

 

 

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Social Security Legislation Amendment (Green Army Programme) Bill 

2014 

No.      , 2014 

 

38H  Non-payment of security benefit or social security pension if 

1 

person receiving green army allowance 

2 

 

  Despite any other provision of the social security law, a social 

3 

security benefit or social security pension is not payable to a 

4 

person if the person is receiving green army allowance. 

5 

Note: 

For green army allowance see subsection 23(1). 

6 

38J  Certain participants in Green Army Programme are not 

7 

workers or employees under Commonwealth laws 

8 

 

(1)  A person: 

9 

 

(a)  who participates in the Green Army Programme on a 

10 

full-time or a part-time basis and who is receiving green 

11 

army allowance; or 

12 

 

(b)  who participates in the Green Army Programme on a 

13 

part-time basis and who is not receiving green army 

14 

allowance; 

15 

is not taken to be: 

16 

 

(c)  a worker carrying out work in any capacity for the 

17 

Commonwealth, or an employee of the Commonwealth, for 

18 

the purposes of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011; or 

19 

 

(d)  an employee within the meaning of section 5 of the Safety, 

20 

Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988; or 

21 

 

(e)  an employee for the purposes of the Fair Work Act 2009; 

22 

merely because of that participation. 

23 

Note: 

For Green Army Programme and green army allowance see 

24 

subsection 23(1). 

25 

 

(2)  Paragraph (1)(b) does not apply to a person included in a class of 

26 

persons prescribed in an instrument under subsection (3). 

27 

 

(3)  The Secretary may, by legislative instrument, prescribe a class of 

28 

persons for the purposes of subsection (2). 

29 

38K  Income test for person's social security pension if green army 

30 

allowance payable to person's partner 

31 

 

(1)  If: 

32 

Amendments  Schedule 1 

   

 

 

No.      , 2014 

Social Security Legislation Amendment (Green Army Programme) Bill 

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(a)  an instalment of a social security pension relating to an 

1 

instalment period is payable to a person; and 

2 

 

(b)  green army allowance is payable to the person's partner in 

3 

respect of some or all of that period; 

4 

then: 

5 

 

(c)  if the amount of the green army allowance does not exceed 

6 

the threshold applicable under subsection (2)--the green 

7 

army allowance is not ordinary income of the person's 

8 

partner; or 

9 

 

(d)  if the amount of the green army allowance exceeds the 

10 

threshold applicable under subsection (2): 

11 

 

(i)  the part of the green army allowance that does not 

12 

exceed that threshold is not ordinary income of the 

13 

person's partner; and 

14 

 

(ii)  the part of the green army allowance that exceeds that 

15 

threshold is ordinary income of the person's partner. 

16 

Note 1: 

For green army allowance see subsection 23(1). 

17 

Note 2: 

Any part of green army allowance that is ordinary income of the 

18 

person's partner will be taken into account in applying the ordinary 

19 

income test in working out the person's rate of social security pension. 

20 

 

(2)  The threshold is: 

21 

 

(a)  if the person's partner is aged under 22: 

22 

 

(i)  if the person's partner has a dependent child--the 

23 

amount under column 3 of item 7 of Table BB in point 

24 

1067G-B3; or 

25 

 

(ii)  otherwise--the amount under column 3 of item 8 of 

26 

Table BB in point 1067G-B3; or 

27 

 

(b)  if the person's partner is aged 22 or over--the amount under 

28 

column 3B of item 7 of Table B in point 1068-B1. 

29 

3  Application provision 

30 

Paragraph 38K(1)(a) of the Social Security Act 1991, as inserted by this 

31 

Act, applies in relation to instalment periods ending on or after the 

32 

commencement of this item. 

33 

Schedule 1  Amendments 

   

 

 

6 

Social Security Legislation Amendment (Green Army Programme) Bill 

2014 

No.      , 2014 

 

Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 

1 

4  Subsection 118(2) 

2 

Omit "subsections (2A) and (2B)", substitute "subsections (2A), (2B) 

3 

and (2C)". 

4 

5  After subsection 118(2B) 

5 

Insert: 

6 

 

(2C)  If an adverse determination is made to give effect to section 38H of 

7 

the 1991 Act, the adverse determination takes effect on the day 

8 

specified in the determination (which may be earlier than the day 

9 

on which the determination is made). 

10