Equality Costs

Local News, By Joal, 22nd June, 2009

It appears the government is giving us everything but gay marriage, and as July 1 approaches there may be some very real disadvantages to relationship recognition.

Issues ranging from drops in government allowances, to being ‘outed’ on Government databases, are some of the issues being reported as Australia prepares to recognise same-sex relationships and de facto couples.

Director of the Welfare Rights Centre, Maree O’Halloran, told the Brisbane Times that she receives at least 10 calls a day from same-sex couples worried about losing money and calls from elderly couples fearful of being ‘outed’ on government databases. “There’s a lot of fear that is taking away from the beneficial changes,” said O’Halloran.

This fear has meant that up until five days ago, fewer than 1400 same-sex couples had reported their relationships to Centrelink – the agency was expecting 11,000.

While the government’s Centrelink website provides information and case studies regarding the change in policy, including changes in age pension between partners of 30 years ‘Dolores and Patricia’ and Newstart Allowance recipients ‘Jason and Andrew’ – the information is not overt in stating that, in most cases, these couples will receive less money in their fortnightly payments.

The government has warned that just like heterosexual couples, same-sex couples who are receiving benefits but have not declared their relationship are at risk of being investigated, fined and having to payback benefits they were un-entitled to.

While many welcome the raft of changes that recognise same-sex couples as equal in the eyes of the law, some believe it’s too little, too late. Discriminated against for the majority of their lives, elderly same-sex couples who have missed out on years of family tax benefits, medicare benefits, partner benefits or family assistance are now facing the possibility of receiving one couple pension rather than two singles – a significant cut.

Lismore couple, Deidre Dowsett and Elaine Fregar told The Northern Star that they would be around $10,000 a year worse off, and that they knew several couples in the same situation. “My income is high enough to mean that Elaine couldn’t get Centrelink, but low enough that we will struggle,” said Dowsett.

Out and proud Australian politicians The Greens’ Bob Brown and Labour’s Penny Wong have congratulated the government on implementing the relationship recognition changes so quickly after the government first made their election promise. Although, Brown and fellow Greens’ Senator, Sarah Hanson-Young recently alluded to the steps toward equality that still remained. “While in the past year there have been some historic leaps forward in terms of removing discrimination against same-sex couples in Australian law, there remains one glaring omission from those advances – marriage,” said Senator Hanson-Young in parliament last Tuesday.

One cheeky contribution to the This Is Oz campaign poked fun at the government’s multi-million dollar advertisement campaign, ‘couples are couples’, about the apparent contradiction.

Information about declaring your relationship can be found at Centrelink’s website, or by calling 13 62 80.