Veterans’ Entitlements (Income Exempt Lump Sum – Miscellaneous) Determination 2015

Administered by Department of Veterans' Affairs

Legislation au F2015L00121 Not in force Legislative Instrument

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EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

 

Veterans’ Entitlements (Income Exempt Lump Sum – Assistance to Purchase Motorcycle) Determination 2015.

Veterans’ Entitlements (Income Exempt Lump Sum — F-111 Deseal/Reseal Lump Sum Payment) Determination 2015.

Veterans’ Entitlements (Income Exempt Lump Sum - Government of South Australia Energy Concession Bonus) Determination 2015.

Veterans’ Entitlements (Income Exempt Lump Sum – Japanese internment Compensation) Determination 2015.

 

Veterans’ Entitlements (Income Exempt Lump Sum – Miscellaneous) Determination 2015.

 

Veterans’ Entitlements (Income Exempt Lump Sum – North Korean internment Compensation) Determination 2015.

 

EMPOWERING PROVISION

 

Paragraph 5H(12)(c) of the Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986 (VEA).

 

PURPOSE

 

The attached instruments are legislative instruments that have been re-made.  Had the instruments not been re-made, they would have been automatically repealed on
1 October 2015. 

 

Subsection 26(1B) of the Legislative Instruments Act 2003 provides that the requirement for an explanatory statement to explain the purpose and operation of an instrument may be met by an explanation that the instrument replaces a specified earlier legislative instrument or a specified provision of an earlier legislative instrument and is the same in substance as the specified instrument or provision. 

 

Also, subsection 26(1D) of the Legislative Instruments Act 2003 provides that a single explanatory statement may relate to one or more legislative instruments – which is the case here.

 

The Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) has reviewed the instruments and found that they are still required.  Accordingly, the instruments have been re-made and aside from updating and streamlining are the same in substance as the instruments they replace.

 

The attached instruments are known as “exempt lump sum instruments”.  An amount determined in these instruments to be an exempt lump sum means it is not assessed as income for means-tested pensions.   

 

Exempt lump sums tend to be payments made as compensation or to alleviate hardship and it would be unfair to indirectly reduce them by reducing the amount of pension a person receives.

 

The attached instruments, therefore, exempt the payments from the means test and ensure that they are not treated as income.

 

Further Explanation

Part A explains the Veterans’ Entitlements (Income Exempt Lump Sum – Assistance to Purchase Motorcycle) Determination 2015.

Part B explains the Veterans’ Entitlements (Income Exempt Lump Sum — F-111 Deseal/Reseal Lump Sum Payment) Determination 2015.

Part C explains the Veterans’ Entitlements (Income Exempt Lump Sum - Government of South Australia Energy Concession Bonus) Determination 2015.

Part D explains the Veterans’ Entitlements (Income Exempt Lump Sum – Japanese internment Compensation) Determination 2015.

Part E explains the Veterans’ Entitlements (Income Exempt Lump Sum – Miscellaneous) Determination 2015.

Part F explains the Veterans’ Entitlements (Income Exempt Lump Sum – North Korean internment Compensation) Determination 2015.

 

CONSULTATION

 

There has been no consultation because the instruments are being re-made in essentially the same form and benefits are not being affected.  Consultation was considered unnecessary.

 

RETROSPECTIVITY

 

None.

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED-BY-REFERENCE

 

No.

 

HUMAN RIGHTS STATEMENT

 

Prepared in accordance with Part 3 of the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011.

 

The attached legislative instruments do engage an applicable right or freedom.  They relate to the Right to Social Security contained in article 9 of the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights

 

The Right to Social Security is engaged and promoted by the attached instrument in that the instrument re-makes a number of instruments that ensure payments, some of which are intended to alleviate hardship, are not treated as income for the purposes of the means-test for certain pensions, thereby maintaining the level of pension a person receives.

Under the VEA certain pensions are subject to a means-test which assesses the income and assets of the pensioner to determine the level of pension the person is entitled to.  Where a pensioner receives one of the exempt lump sums in question (e.g. hardship-type payment), prima facie the payment is ordinary income and would be assessed in the means test for the pension which could result in a reduced pension. 

 

However, under subsection 5H(12)(c) of the VEA, payments such as a hardship-type payments can be exempted from the means-test.  This provision has been utilised in the attached instruments to exempt the relevant payments from the means test. 

 

CONSULTATION

 

The attached legislative instruments are considered to be compatible with the human right to social security because they ensure certain pensions are maintained at their existing levels and are not unfairly reduced by certain payments that are compensatory in nature or intended to alleviate hardship.

 

Rule-Maker

The Repatriation Commission

 

 


Part A

 

Veterans’ Entitlements (Income Exempt Lump Sum – Assistance to Purchase Motorcycle) Determination 2015

 

  • a payment to reimburse a disabled veteran for the amount of GST paid for the purchase of a motorcycle or motorcycle-part.

 

Part B

 

Veterans’ Entitlements (Income Exempt Lump Sum — F-111 Deseal/Reseal Lump Sum Payment) Determination 2015

 

  • a one-off payment paid by DVA to participants in the F-111 Deseal/Reseal maintenance program.

 

Part C

Veterans’ Entitlements (Income Exempt Lump Sum - Government of South Australia Energy Concession Bonus) Determination 2015

 

  • an annual concession payment from the State Government of South Australia to assist eligible people with their energy bills.

 

Part D

 

Veterans’ Entitlements (Income Exempt Lump Sum – Japanese internment Compensation) Determination 2015

 

  • a compensation payment received by a person under the Compensation (Japanese Internment) Act 2001 or the Veterans’ Entitlements (Compensation – Japanese Internment) Regulations 2001.

 

Part E

 

Veterans’ Entitlements (Income Exempt Lump Sum – Miscellaneous) Determination 2015

 

  • a one-off payment made on or after 11 February 2000 to needy Holocaust survivors from a Humanitarian Fund established by Swiss banks, and administered by the World Jewish Restitution Organisation through the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.

 

  • an amount paid, in certain circumstances, by a life insurance business or a superannuation fund to a person as the minimum amount payable consistent with the need to convert the person’s existing annuity contract or contracts to an asset test exempt product or products.

 

  • an amount in excess of $40,000 that is paid to or on behalf of the person under a Home Equity Conversion Agreement.

 

  • an ex gratia payment to a person (patient), or a child of that person, for psychiatric illness due to being exposed to the risk of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease as a result of the patient receiving treatment under the Australian Human Pituitary Hormone Program during the period 1967 to 1985.

 

  • a refund of accommodation bond/accommodation charge received by a person who is or was an aged care resident.

 

  • a one-off crisis payment granted under the Veterans’ Entitlements (Special Assistance) Regulations 1999.

 

  • a payment (other than a periodical payment or a payment representing an accumulation of instalments) made for or in respect of expenses incurred by a person for hospital, medical, dental or similar treatment. 

 

Part F

 

Veterans’ Entitlements (Income Exempt Lump Sum – North Korean internment Compensation) Determination 2015

 

  • a compensation payment made under Part 2 (Compensation payments for North Korean internment) of the Veterans’ Entitlements (Clarke Review) Act 2004.

 

Overview

The Veterans' Entitlements (Income Exempt Lump Sum) Determinations 2015 were enacted to ensure that certain lump sum payments to veterans are exempt from the means test for pensions under the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 (VEA). These legislative instruments were re-made to avoid their automatic repeal and maintain their intended effect, which is to exempt specific lump sum payments from being assessed as income for the purposes of means-tested pensions. The policy objective is to prevent the reduction of pension benefits for veterans due to the receipt of compensatory or hardship-relief payments, thereby promoting social security by maintaining pension levels. The Repatriation Commission, under the authority of the VEA, has overseen the creation and re-making of these instruments to address the specific problem of ensuring that certain lump sum payments do not negatively impact the income assessment for means-tested pensions, thereby upholding the right to social security for veterans. These determinations apply to various lump sum payments, including assistance for purchasing a motorcycle, compensation for internment during Japanese occupation, and various other one-off payments intended to alleviate hardship or compensate for specific circumstances.

Scope and Application

The Veterans' Entitlements (Income Exempt Lump Sum) Determinations 2015 collectively apply to veterans and certain other individuals who are recipients of specified lump sum payments, ensuring these payments do not affect their eligibility or amount of means-tested pensions. These instruments operate under the authority of paragraph 5H(12)(c) of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986, which allows for the exemption of certain lump sum payments from the income test for pensions. The scope of these instruments is limited to specific lump sum payments that are compensatory or intended to alleviate hardship, such as payments for the purchase of a motorcycle by disabled veterans, compensation for Japanese and North Korean internment, and various other specified lump sum payments. These instruments have a national reach, applying across all states and territories in Australia, and their application is limited to the categories of payments specifically listed within each determination. The instruments do not apply to any payments not explicitly mentioned within their respective schedules. The Repatriation Commission, as the rule-maker, retains the authority to extend or modify the application of these instruments through subordinate legislation, ensuring they remain relevant and effective in addressing the needs of affected veterans and individuals.

Key Provisions

The main operative sections of these determinations, which are re-made to ensure they remain in effect, are found under paragraph 5H(12)(c) of the Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986 (VEA). These sections identify specific lump sum payments that are exempt from being assessed as income for the purposes of means-tested pensions. For instance, the Veterans’ Entitlements (Income Exempt Lump Sum – Assistance to Purchase Motorcycle) Determination 2015 specifies that payments made to reimburse disabled veterans for GST on motorcycle purchases are not considered income for pension assessments (Part A). Similarly, the Veterans’ Entitlements (Income Exempt Lump Sum – F-111 Deseal/Reseal Lump Sum Payment) Determination 2015 states that payments to participants in the F-111 Deseal/Reseal maintenance program are exempt from income assessment (Part B). These sections serve to clarify that certain lump sum payments, which are often compensatory or aimed at alleviating hardship, should not reduce the pension amounts received by veterans. These determinations impose specific obligations on both the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) and the recipients of the specified lump sum payments. For the DVA, the obligation is to ensure that the payments identified in the determinations are not included in the income assessments for means-tested pensions. For the recipients, the primary requirement is to ensure that they are aware of which payments are exempt from the means test to avoid any misunderstandings or potential reductions in their pension entitlements. Additionally, the DVA must update these instruments as necessary to reflect changes in circumstances or new types of payments that may need to be considered. There are no direct offences or penalties specified in these determinations themselves. However, failure to comply with the Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986 or the associated regulations could lead to civil or criminal consequences, including fines or imprisonment, depending on the nature and severity of the breach. The maximum penalties would be determined by the provisions of the VEA and other relevant legislation. These determinations are primarily designed to ensure that the specified lump sum payments are correctly identified and treated under the means test for pensions, thereby protecting the pension entitlements of veterans and other eligible recipients.

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Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at 26 August 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au.