From Mannie De Saxe and Ken Lovett, Lesbian and Gay Solidarity, Melbourne.

We received this today, Thursday 2 July 2009, with a request to forward it to all concerned:

Media release - 1 July 2009

Campaign call: end discrimination spin-off against same-sex couples 

On the day of the July 1 start to the federal governments social security
reforms, Greens MP Lee Rhiannon has called on the government not to force
same-sex couples to expose their relationship after years of community
alienation.

"The federal government's failure to protect same-sex couples who will be
financially disadvantaged by the social security changes will undermine the
many benefits from the national reform program", Ms Rhiannon said. 

"The Rudd government should show compassion to the same-sex couples who have
lived for decades with discrimination and understandably do not want to
publicly disclose their living arrangements. 

"As with other changes to the Government pension, this one should be
'grandfathered' so that people already on a pension do not suddenly lose a
large part of their income. Couples who are finally recognised as such by
Centrelink after a lifetime of exclusion, should be maintain their current
income until death.

"The Greens' plan to make this a community based campaign so Labor and Liberal
MPs in the federal parliament come to their senses and do not turn their backs
on same-sex people disadvantaged by the new law.

"The couples who now have to cope with the unintentional negative consequences
of the social security reforms are gay and lesbian people who over many
decades have had to adjust their lives because of society wide discrimination.

"Now that the Australian law has caught up with community standards the
government needs to ensure that vulnerable groups of elderly same-sex couples
do not suffer.

"My federal colleague Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has called for the federal
government not to penalise same sex couples on social security benefits. In
the senate Senator Hanson-Young moved that at a minimum there should be a
12-month transitional period to ensure individuals impacted by the changes
have sufficient time to readjust their finances. 

"Labor and the Coalition parties joined forces to defeat the Greens amendment. 

"We cannot allow the government to turn their back on this issue and allow
same-sex couples to suffer because they are not willing to be flexible in the
application of the law.

"The government has protected people disadvantaged by previous social security
reforms. Now they should take similar action for same-sex couples who from
today will be hit with another level of discrimination", Ms Rhiannon said. 
For more information: 9230 3551, 0427 861 568

--------------------------------------------------

Lee Rhiannon, MLC

The Greens

Parliament of New South Wales

Macquarie St, Sydney 2000
Tel: +61-2-9230 3551 

Fax: +61-2-9230 3550

lee.rhiannon@...

http://www.lee.greens.org.au/

http://www.democracy4sale.org/ 

http://twitter.com/leerhiannon