For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 14, 2002

Message 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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