Changing Australian residence details for family assistance, Parental Leave Pay (PPL) and Dad and Partner Pay (DAP) customer/child 007-02080030

The following situations would generally be considered a temporary absence:

• Stephen has a 5 year contract to work for an Australian company in Thailand
• Amelia is working as a missionary in the Philippines for the next 8 years under the auspices of an Australian aid organisation. Amelia's children and grandchildren are remaining in Australia and Amelia has asked that Centrelink payments continue to be paid to their Australian bank account. Note: as long as they continue to show ties to Australia, a missionary is often considered to be an Australian resident even though they are overseas for many years. Often, their religious support is based in Australia, they return regularly to Australia for rest breaks or medical care and they intend to return to Australia to live as soon as they complete their mission
• Carolyn left Australia to care for an ill parent and intends to return to Australia after the parent passes away. Carolyn is a homeowner and continues to maintain the home in Sydney. Carolyn's 4 children all live in Australia and bank accounts in Australia remain open
• A person who is employed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and is currently based outside Australia for an indefinite period. The home they own is rented out while they are overseas. Their furniture and car are in storage and they return regularly to Australia for holidays. The rest of the family remain in Australia, for example, sibling, parent etc

The following situations would generally not be considered a temporary absence:

• Marcus left Australia 18 months ago and has been in the US since. Last month Marcus sold the home, transferred assets to the US and closed Australian bank accounts. Marcus has a sibling living in Australia and 2 siblings in the US. Marcus has no other family and no other ties to Australia
• Jacqui has been travelling backwards and forwards between Fiji and Australia for the past year. Jacqui returns to Australia every 5 weeks and then goes back to Fiji after remaining in Australia for between one and 5 weeks. In Australia, Jacqui stays at the parental home and pays board. Jacqui has no assets in Australia other than the bank account in which Centrelink payment is made but also has no significant assets in Fiji. Jacqui does rent accommodation in Fiji
• Ben went to Italy for a visit a year ago and intended to return in 6 months but extended the visit. Ben phoned Centrelink to advise of wanting to remain in Italy forever with no present intention of returning to Australia. Ben has been granted Italian permanent residence but has not renounced Australian citizenship
• Francis is leaving Australia to work as a missionary in Thailand indefinitely. Other than the Centrelink payment, the only means of financial support is a small stipend paid by the local community and free lodging by the villagers. Francis is closing the Australian bank account and has disposed of assets in Australia. Francis will only return to Australia if a deterioration in health occurs that requires a higher level of health care than Thailand can offer