Commonwealth Consolidated Acts Commonwealth Consolidated Acts(1) In this Act, unless the contrary intention appears:
"Actuary" means a Fellow or Associate of the Institute of Actuaries (London), or a Fellow or Associate of the Faculty of Actuaries (Edinburgh), or any other person of whose actuarial knowledge and experience the Governor - General approves.
"Approved authority" means the Australian Broadcasting Commission, the Capital Territory Health Commission, the Australian National University, Aboriginal Hostels Limited and the Darwin Community College and includes such other Commonwealth authorities as are specified by the regulations to be approved authorities for the purposes of this Act.
"Children" includes children adopted by a contributor or by a contributor to the Provident Account and dependent on him at the time of his death.
"Commissioner" has the same meaning as in the Superannuation Act 1976 .
"Commissioner for Superannuation" has the same meaning as Commissioner.
"Contributor" means an employee who is or has been contributing under this Act to the Fund.
"CSC" (short for Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation) has the same meaning as in the Governance of Australian Government Superannuation Schemes Act 2011 .
"decision" has the same meaning as in the Administrative Review Tribunal Act 2024 .
"decision of CSC" means a decision of CSC, or a delegate of CSC, under this Act or the regulations.
"Department" means any Department under the administration of a Minister of State for the Commonwealth.
"eligible child" means:
(a) in relation to a deceased contributor or deceased pensioner, a child of the contributor or pensioner who is:
(i) under the age of 18 years; or
(ii) a child:
(A) who has reached the age of 18 years but is under the age of 21 years; and
(B) who is receiving full - time education at a school, college or university; or
(iii) a child:
(A) who has reached the age of 21 years but is under the age of 25 years; and
(B) who is receiving full - time education at a school, college or university; and
(C) where the child was born before the death of the contributor or pensioner--who was living with, or, in the opinion of the Commissioner, was wholly or substantially dependent upon, the contributor or pensioner immediately before that death; and
(D) where the child was born after the death of the contributor or pensioner--who, in the opinion of the Commissioner, would have been living with, or wholly or substantially dependent upon the contributor or pensioner immediately before that death if the child had been born before that death; and
(b) in relation to a person, being the widow, widower, wife or husband of a deceased contributor or a deceased pensioner, a child of the person who is:
(i) a child of the kind referred to in subparagraph (a)(i);
(ii) a child of the kind referred to in subparagraph (a)(ii); or
(iii) a child:
(A) of the kind referred to in sub - subparagraphs (a)(iii)(A) and (B); and
(B) who was born before the death of the contributor or pensioner and, in the opinion of the Commissioner, was wholly or substantially dependent upon the contributor or pensioner immediately before that death;
"Employee" means a person employed in a permanent capacity by the Commonwealth, who is by the terms of his employment required to give his whole time to the duties of his employment, and includes a person employed under section 81D or 81P of the Commonwealth Public Service Act 1922 - 1947 who, immediately prior to his becoming so employed, was a contributor to a State Fund as defined by section 101 of this Act, but does not include a person who is a Judge as defined by subsection (1) of section 4 of the Judges' Pensions Act 1968 .
"pension" includes associate pension under section 93DB.
"Reconsideration Advisory Committee" means a Committee established under section 128.
"Salary" means salary or wages, and includes the value of allowances such as allowances for rent, house allowed rent free, light, fuel, rations, and fees allowed regularly as emoluments of office, but does not include bonuses, overtime payments, or allowances for forage, equipment, climatic disadvantages, cost of living or travelling expenses.
"Service" means service under, or employment by, the Commonwealth or an approved authority and, in relation to any qualifying period of employment, includes:
(a) continuous service as a member of the Permanent Navy, the Regular Army or the Permanent Air Force; and
(b) where an employee is transferred from the service of a State or Territory to the service of the Commonwealth, such permanent service of the employee under the State or Territory as is continuous with his service under the Commonwealth.
"The Board" means the Superannuation Board constituted by this Act.
"The Defence Forces Retirement Benefits Fund" means the Defence Forces Retirement Benefits Fund established under the Defence Forces Retirement Benefits Act 1948 - 1968 .
"The Fund" means the Superannuation Fund established under this Act.
"The maximum age for retirement" means the age of sixty - five years, or, in the case of a contributor the age for whose retirement is fixed by law at an earlier age than sixty - five years, the age so fixed.
"The new Superannuation Fund" means the Superannuation Fund established by the Superannuation Act 1976 .
"The Provident Account" means the Provident Account established under Part V.
"The Public Service Arbitrator" means the Public Service Arbitrator holding office under the Public Service Arbitration Act 1920 - 1969 and includes a Deputy Public Service Arbitrator holding office under that Act.
"The Public Service Board" means the Public Service Board constituted under the Public Service Act 1922 - 1950 .
"The Superannuation Fund Investment Trust" means the Superannuation Fund Investment Trust established by the Superannuation Act 1976 .
(1B) A person, other than a person who has been retired on the ground of invalidity or of physical or mental incapacity to perform his duties, who is or becomes employed by the Commonwealth shall not be taken, for the purposes of this Act, to be employed otherwise than in a permanent capacity by reason only that his appointment was or is on probation and has not been confirmed.
(2) References in this Act to the retirement of an employee upon his attaining the age of sixty - five years shall include the case of an employee whose retirement takes place on the day before he attains the age of sixty - five years.
(2A) A reference in this Act to the pension, or to the number of units of pension, for which a contributor is contributing or for which he is a contributor shall be read as including a reference to any units of pension or fractions of a unit of pension for which he has completed payment of contributions and, unless the contrary intention appears, shall, subject to section 73 of the Superannuation Act 1959 and section 33 of the Superannuation Act 1963 , also be read as including a reference to any units of pension in respect of which the whole or a part of his contributions has been deferred by virtue of either of those sections.
(2B) Subject to this Act, where, in pursuance of this Act, an employee becomes liable, or elects, to contribute for or in respect of a unit of pension or an additional unit of pension, or a fraction of a unit of pension or of an additional unit of pension, he shall be deemed to be a contributor for or in respect of that unit or additional unit, or that fraction of a unit or of an additional unit, as from the date when he becomes liable to contribute, or elects to contribute, as the case may be.
(3) Where an employee has been or is appointed, whether before or after the commencement of this Act, for a term of years to a statutory office under the Commonwealth, he shall, for the purposes of this Act, be deemed to continue to be an employee so long as he continues to be employed by the Commonwealth in that office (whether during or after the expiration of the term for which he was appointed) or in any other statutory office under the Commonwealth to which he may be appointed for a term of years.
(3A) A reference in subsection (3) to a statutory office does not include a reference to a statutory office the holder of which is not required by the terms of his appointment to give the whole of his time to the duties of his office.
(4) Where a person is the holder for a term of years of a statutory office under the Commonwealth (whether his appointment was made before or is made after the commencement of this subsection) and, by the terms of his appointment, that person is required to give the whole of his time to the duties of his office, the Minister may direct that that person be deemed to be an employee within the meaning of this section, and that person shall be deemed to be such an employee as from the date of the direction or from such earlier date (not being a date earlier than the date of appointment to the statutory office) as the Board determines.
(5) Where:
(a) a person employed by the Commonwealth otherwise than in a permanent capacity is by the terms of his employment required to give the whole of his time to the duties of his employment;
(b) that person has been so employed for a continuous period of not less than three years; and
(c) the Public Service Board, or, on appeal from the Public Service Board, the Minister, certifies that that person's employment is likely to be continued for a period of at least seven years;
the Minister may direct that that person be deemed to be an employee within the meaning of this section, and that person shall be deemed to be such an employee as from the date of the direction.
(5A) Where:
(a) a person employed by the Commonwealth under the Australian Security Intelligence Organization Act 1956 otherwise than in a permanent capacity is by the terms of his employment required to give the whole of his time to the duties of his employment;
(b) that person has been so employed for a continuous period of not less than three years; and
(c) the Director - General of Security certifies that that person's employment is likely to be continued for a period of at least seven years;
the Director - General of Security may direct that that person be deemed to be an employee within the meaning of this section, and that person shall be deemed to be such an employee as from the date of the direction.
(5B) Where:
(a) a person referred to in paragraph (a) of subsection (5) or paragraph (a) of subsection (5A) was, during any period prior to the commencement of his employment by the Commonwealth, employed in employment within or outside Australia upon the termination of which:
(i) a transfer value within the meaning of Division 2 of Part XA became payable to or in respect of him after the commencement of this subsection under a superannuation scheme applicable in relation to that employment;
(ii) a prescribed pension within the meaning of that Division became payable to him under such a scheme; or
(iii) any deferred benefits within the meaning of that Division became applicable in respect of him after the commencement of this subsection under such a scheme;
and was, during that period, a member of that superannuation scheme; and
(b) if the prior employment was employment in relation to which subparagraph (i) of paragraph (a) applies--an amount equal to the amount of the transfer value referred to in that subparagraph has been paid to the Board in accordance with subsection (1) of section 119J;
then subsection (5) or subsection (5A), as the case may be, has effect in relation to the person subject to the modifications referred to in subsection (5C) of this section.
(5C) The modifications referred to in subsection (5B) are as follows:
(a) any period of the prior employment shall be deemed, for the purposes of paragraph (b) of subsection (5) or paragraph (b) of subsection (5A), as the case may be, to have been a period of employment of the same nature as the employment of the person referred to in paragraph (a) of that subsection and to have been continuous with that employment;
(b) if the total of the periods of the prior employment is more than three years but less than ten years--the reference in paragraph (c) of subsection (5) or subsection (5A), as the case may be, to seven years shall be read as a reference to the difference between ten years and the total of the periods of the prior employment; and
(c) if the total of the periods of the prior employment is not less than ten years--subsection (5) or subsection (5A), as the case may be, has effect as if paragraph (c) of that subsection were omitted.
(6) Subject to subsection (7), where a person employed by an approved authority is required by the terms of his employment to give the whole of his time to the duties of his office and:
(a) the approved authority certifies that the person's employment is likely to be continued for a period of at least seven years;
(b) the person was, immediately prior to the commencement of his employment by the approved authority, a contributor to a Public Service Superannuation Fund as defined by section 108; or
(c) the person was, during any period prior to the commencement of his employment by the approved authority, employed in employment within or outside Australia upon the termination of which:
(i) a transfer value within the meaning of Division 2 of Part XA became payable to or in respect of him after the commencement of this subsection under a superannuation scheme applicable in relation to that employment;
(ii) a prescribed pension within the meaning of that Division became payable to him under such a scheme; or
(iii) any deferred benefits within the meaning of that Division became applicable in respect of him after the commencement of this subsection under such a scheme;
and was, during that period, a member of that superannuation scheme and, if the prior employment was employment in relation to which subparagraph (i) of this paragraph applies, an amount equal to the amount of the transfer value referred to in that subparagraph has been paid to the Board in accordance with subsection (1) of section 119J;
the Minister administering the Act or other law by or under which the approved authority is constituted, or a person authorized in writing by the Minister so administering that Act or that other law to exercise his powers under this subsection, may, on the recommendation of the approved authority, direct that the first - mentioned person be deemed to be an employee within the meaning of this section, and that person shall be deemed to be such an employee as from the date of the direction or, in the case of a person referred to in paragraph (b), shall be deemed to have been such an employee as from the date on which his employment by the approved authority commenced.
(7) Where, in the case of a person referred to in paragraph (c) of subsection (6), the total of the periods of the prior employment referred to in that paragraph was less than seven years, that subsection does not apply in relation to that person unless the approved authority certifies that the person's employment is likely to be continued for a period that is not less than the difference between seven years and the total of the periods of his prior employment.
(8) For the purposes of this Act, the Principal of the Darwin Community College shall be deemed to be employed by the College.
(9) For the purposes of subsection (6) in its application in relation to Aboriginal Hostels Limited, that body shall be deemed to be constituted under an Act administered by the Minister administering the Aboriginal Land and Waters (Jervis Bay Territory) Act 1986 .
(11) Where a person was born on 29 February in any year, then, in any subsequent year that is not a leap year, the anniversary of the birth of the person shall, for the purposes of this Act, be deemed to occur on 1 March of that subsequent year.