'Same-sex spouses to lose compo'

This letter on same-sex partner superannuation entitlements, was sent to the Australian newspaper on 29.10.07.

re: "Same-sex spouses to lose compo", The Australian, 29.10.07

Dear Editor,

In 2004 the Howard Government promised to remove discrimination against same-sex partners in superannuation. This was its trade-off for entrenching marriage as the union between a man and a woman. It was a promise made explicitly by the Prime Minister, and by Government front-benchers such as Senator Helen Coonan.

Not only has the Government not fulfilled that promise but it has now made matters worse by quietly transferring same-sex partners from state-run schemes which recognise their relationships, to the unreformed Commonwealth scheme which doesn't (The Australian, 29.10.07).

This will cause serious financial hardship to those same-sex couples who have planned for retirement or death on the basis of what they thought would be equal treatment.

It will lower the disposable income, reduce the investment capacity and increase reliance on social security for thousands of Australians - exactly the opposite of what we should expect from a fiscally-responsible government.

After repeatedly failing to respond to the lobbying of those Liberal MPs who support fair treatment for same-sex couples, the Howard Government has now squandered its final opportunity to pursue moderate, practical reform on this issue.

Superannuation was meant to help us all prepare for the future, but there's no hope of this for same-sex partners while we have Government leaders who live in the past.

Yours Sincerely,
Rodney Croome.