Equality Is Too Expensive
The Rudd Government is considering delaying their promise of removing legal discrimination against gays and lesbians, because it will cost taxpayers $400 million over four years. They’re unsure whether or not to include the reforms in the May budget – they want to put things off until the beginning of next year. Senior government insiders however are denying that the delays are to do with cost savings.
The amusing thing is that Labor’s costing is substantially less than what the Howard Government said it would be. According to The Australian, Howard said the cost would be $1 billion, but the reality is that it’s less than half of that.
With already over 100 federal pieces of legislation ignoring homosexual couples, the delay, which is yet to be official, already caused concern with human rights groups. Human Rights Commissioner Graeme Innes says that a delay would be “disappointing”.
“Cost is not the issue. The issue here is a basic right and that is the right to equality, and we don’t judge those in financial terms,” he said. “The budget is the absolutely right time to send that message that couples shouldn’t be treated differently simply because of who they love.”
According to the Australian Commission for Equality Spokesman Rodney Croome, many older and retired same-sex partners believe the reforms are urgent, but their contributions to the government as taxpayers aren’t matched by what the government gives back to them.
“Clearly, same-sex partners have been subsidising the public purse to an extraordinary degree, thanks to the fact that their equal financial contribution to government coffers has not been matched by equal entitlements,” he said. Very good point.
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Erin-Rose
said ages ago