Ministers to play final role in equality reforms

Ministers to play final role in equality reforms

Rudd Government ministers are expected to remove the last discrimination against same-sex couples in regulations and legislative instruments before 1 January.

Defence Science and Personnel Minister Warren Snowdon announced last week he had signed the changes to the Military Superannuation and Benefits Scheme.

-œSame-sex partners of Australian Defence Force members will no longer denied the payment of death benefits from superannuation schemes. The tax concessions on death benefits, currently made available to opposite-sex couples will also be available to same-sex couples, Snowdon said.

Further regulation portfolios with same-sex discrimination include immigration and politicians’ travel benefits. Neither the Immigration Minister Chris Evans nor the Remuneration Tribunal would confirm for Southern Star when those changes would take place.

But the changes to Defence superannuation came as welcome relief to those who experienced complete disenfranchisement before the military’s gay ban ended in 1992.

-œShould anything happen to me, it’s great to know that my partner won’t need go through additional trauma to access death benefits.  It’s good to see increasing consideration for the needs of same-sex couples within the Australian Defence Force … it really makes it easy to serve, co-chair of the Defence Gay and Lesbian Information Service (DEFGLIS), Chief Petty Officer Stuart O’Brien said.

The announcement was the  most significant improvement to address the needs of same-sex couples in the military since changes in 2005 that recognised same-sex couples for housing assistance and other entitlements relating to interstate or international postings.

O’Brien said DEFGLIS wanted to play a larger role working with support organisations like the Defence Community Organistion to ensure the unique needs of gay and lesbian members were addressed.

The last discriminatory regulations against same-sex couples will be removed by the Rudd Government before the end of the year.

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