[House Document 107-186]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



107th Congress, 2d Session - - - - - - - - - - - House Document 107-186 


 
     AGREEMENT WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF AUSTRALIA ON SOCIAL SECURITY

                               __________

                                MESSAGE

                                  from

                   THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

                              transmitting

AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE GOVERNMENT OF 
  AUSTRALIA ON SOCIAL SECURITY, WHICH CONSISTS OF TWO SEPARATE 
  INSTRUMENTS: A PRINCIPAL AGREEMENT AND AN ADMINISTRATIVE AGREEMENT, 
  PURSUANT TO 42 U.S.C. 433(e)(1)




   March 13, 2002.--Message and accompanying papers referred to the 
         Committee on Ways and Means and ordered to be printed

                               __________

                    U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
99-011                     WASHINGTON : 2002


To the Congress of the United States
    Pursuant to section 233(e)(1) of the Social Security Act, 
as amended by the Social Security Amendments of 1977 (Public 
Law 95-216, 42 U.S.C. 433(e)(1)), I transmit herewith the 
Agreement Between the Government of the United States of 
America and the Government of Australia on Social Security, 
which consists of two separate instruments: a principal 
agreement and an administrative arrangement along with a 
paragraph-by-paragraph explanation of each provision. The 
Agreement was signed at Canberra on September 27, 2001.
    The United States-Australia Agreement is similar in 
objective to the social security agreements already in force 
with Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Finland, France, Germany, 
Greece, Ireland, Italy, Korea, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, 
Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United 
Kingdom. Such bilateral agreements provide for limited 
coordination between the United States and foreign social 
security systems to eliminate dual social security coverage and 
taxation, and to help prevent the lost benefit protection that 
can occur when workers divide their careers between two 
countries. The United States-Australia Agreement contains all 
provisions mandated by section 233 and other provisions that I 
deem appropriate to carry out the purposes of section 233, 
pursuant to section 233(c)(4).
    I also transmit for the Information of the Congress a 
report prepared by the Social Security Administration 
explaining the key points of the Agreement. Annexed to this 
report is the report required by section 233(e)(1) of the 
Social Security Act, a report on the effect of the Agreement on 
income and expenditures of the U.S. Social Security program and 
the number of individuals affected by the Agreement. The 
Department of State and the Social Security Administration have 
recommended the Agreement and related documents to me.
    I commend the United States-Australia Social Security 
Agreement and related documents.

                                                    George W. Bush.
    The White House, March 12, 2002.
    
    
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