Australian South Sea Islander customers 106-01030030

Australian South Sea Islanders are the descendants of South Sea Islanders brought to Australia as indentured labour around the turn of the twentieth century and through legislation, identified as a disadvantaged minority group. The Australian Bureau of Statistics definition excludes later voluntary migrants from the South Pacific region.

The Australian Government formally recognised them as a distinct cultural group in 1994 and the Queensland State Parliament in 2000.

Around three quarters of Australian South Sea Islanders live in Queensland and northern New South Wales. Many gravitate to coastal towns such as Mackay, which has the largest Australian South Sea Islander population in Australia according to the 2021 Census.

The Other Contact Details (OCD) screen asks if the customer identifies as South Sea Islander. Information about a customer’s South Sea Islander status helps the government make decisions about policies, funding and services. Do not ask the customer to provide proof of their South Sea Islander heritage.

Service Officers must ask if they identify as a South Sea Islander person when a:

• new customer registers for Centrelink
• customer’s South Sea Islander status has not been recorded

Service Officers must advise customers that responding to the South Sea Islander question is voluntary, and they can update their status at any time.

There are no specific payments or programmes tailored for Australian South Sea Islanders administered by Services Australia. Some state and/or local services may provide specialised or targeted help.

Specialist officers may be able to provide local knowledge and support for Australian South Sea Islander customers. Normally, this will be the local Multicultural Service Officer (MSO). Where Australian South Sea Islander customers also identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, the local Indigenous Service Officer (ISO) may be able to help.

Find the local MSO or ISO on Office Locator:

• Search service centre in the Office/Town field
• Scroll to the 'Teams' section
• Select specialists. The MSO's or ISO’s name and contact number will be listed