DSP and Newstart while I travel overseas

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Q: I receive the Disability Support Pension (DSP) and have been studying since 2003 at university in a four-year degree. To complete my degree I am required to do a 12 month overseas study component. Centrelink says I won't be able to keep getting the DSP. What can I do? Is there a way I can still receive the DSP while I'm away?

A: DSP recipients can only be out of Australia for 13 weeks at a time without it being stopped.

However it may be possible for you to be paid for a longer period if you are travelling to a country with which Australia has a social security agreement. But this is usually possible only for people who have, in Centrelink-speak, 'a severe disability'.

Further information is available from Centrelink Disability Services phone: 132717 or download its Are You Leaving Australia? factsheet. The factsheet outlines general rules for each of the different payment types. There may be other factors specific to individual circumstances that may affect the payment of a pension or allowance outside Australia.

The situation is different for full-time students who receive Austudy. The 13 week rule applies for a temporary absence as long as the person remains enrolled as a student (eg during holidays and semester breaks). But it can be for a longer period if the trip is for study as part of a full-time Australian course.

That anomaly has an inequitable impact on full-time students who receive the DSP and who are required to study overseas to complete their course.


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