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Alert: Users are advised that this site is being redesigned. This copy of the Act has not been updated since 1 January 2008. For up-to-date legislation please see the Comlaw website.
Social Security Act 1991
Reader's Guide
This Guide is intended to help you work out where you need to look in the Act to find the information you need. The Guide explains how the Act is arranged and how things like the Table of Parts, the definitions and the notes can help you in reading the Act.
1. Use the Tables of Parts and Provisions to find your area of interest.
The Table of Parts (which is to be found straight after this Guide) is a general list of the contents of the Act. The Table of Provisions (which comes after the Table of Parts) is more detailed–it lists every section in the Act.
2. The Act is divided into 8 Chapters.
Chapter 1 is introductory and contains definitions.
Chapter 2 deals with each payment type under the Act.
Chapter 2A deals with benefits and concessions other than payments under the Act.
Chapter 2B deals with the Student Financial Supplement Scheme under the Act.
Chapter 3 deals with general rules explaining e.g. how to work out the payment rate, how the assets test works etc.
Chapter 4 deals with portability of payments and with international agreements.
Chapter 5 deals with overpayments and debt recovery.
Chapter 6 deals with review of decisions made under the Act.
Chapter 7 deals with administrative matters.
Chapter 8 deals with miscellaneous matters, including offences under the Act.
3. There is a separate Part in Chapter 2 for each payment type.
Chapter 2 is divided into Parts. Each Part deals with one payment type. To find out about a particular type of payment (e.g. newstart allowance), look at the Table of Parts at the beginning of the Act. It will direct you to Part 2.12 for the provisions dealing with newstart allowance.
Within each Part dealing with a payment type, the topics are dealt with in this order:
4. The other Chapters deal with general topics.
The other Chapters deal with topics that are relevant to several, or to all, payment types. The main provisions of this kind are:
5. Definitions are generally in Chapter 1.
The definitions of terms used in the Act are generally at the front of the Act, after the Table of Provisions and the formal citation and commencement provisions. Related definitions have been grouped together to help give a complete picture of the terms relating to a particular topic or concept.
6. The Index of definitions is at section 3.
The Index of defined terms (section 3) has been provided to tell you exactly where a particular term is defined. If you are not sure whether a term is a defined term, or you are not sure where a term is defined, check the Index at section 3.
7. Notes and examples throughout the Act help explain how certain provisions work.
Notes and examples throughout the Act help explain how certain provisions work. Notes are to be found throughout the text and these are designed to help you find your way through the document. Notes tell you where to find definitions and alert you to other provisions in this Act and in other legislation that are relevant to the text you are reading. Examples are also used to help explain how some provisions work – in particular those involving complex calculations.
History
Reader's Guide amended by Act No. 109, 2004, by s.3, Schedule 1(1);
