Couple’s concern over super delays

Tired of the Howard government’s delays in fixing inequality in federal superannuation schemes, one elderly same-sex couple has come forward to remind politicians that the issue isn’t academic.

For John Challis (pictured) and his partner Arthur Cheeseman, 79 and 75 years old respectively, the issue is quite serious. Challis worked for the ABC until 1988 and the pair now rely on his Comsuper pension.

I’m worried about what will happen to my partner when I die, Challis said.

My partner and I have lived together for 40 years. While we were both still working, in order that I could put extra money into superannuation, we lived mostly on his wages. So the pension is part of his investment also.

Challis said he and Cheeseman had prepared as best they could, by lodging a statutory declaration with the Comsuper board upon retirement, and financially planning for the possibility Challis might die before the reforms are complete.

That’s a real day-to-day financial consequence of financial discrimination. We’ve had to tie up a considerable amount of capital so he has enough income when the residual pension ceases, meaning when I die, Challis said.

Challis’s concern about his partner’s wellbeing is as much about the personal cost as the financial.

My partner suffers from macula degeneration in his eyes. In four or five years he is likely to be blind. It would be far more comfortable for him to receive a regular income from a residual pension than manage a series of investments.

I just want make sure my partner is secure. The only other solution is to make sure I outlive him.

So far, the only politician from government benches who has listened to Challis’s plea has been outgoing Cairns MP Warren Entsch.

The great hope was that Entsch would achieve something. But reforms have gotten nowhere in the three years since Senator Coonan gave the commitment on behalf of the government, he said.

Letters from government ministers have repeated the same line that reforms cannot proceed because of technical matters and budgetary considerations that must be fully examined.

Three years of this line hasn’t made Challis believe it.

I put in a freedom of information request for the cost estimates, but they won’t release the actuary’s report. It cost me $150 for them to say the report couldn’t be released because it was out of date and it wouldn’t be in the public interest.

Challis is also unimpressed by minor amendments included in the budget to allow current federal public servants to opt out and find an alternative private scheme with interdependency options.

It’s not just problematic, it’s an insult -“ the Comsuper scheme is indexed and guaranteed, he said.

Even after 40 years, my partner is still denied a pension that a de facto heterosexual person would receive after just a short period of living together.

Challis has started a pressure group Comsuper Action Committee to make politicians understand the real implications for some couples.

Labor’s superannuation spokesperson, Senator Nick Sherry, told Sydney Star Observer he would be raising the matter at Senate Estimates Committee hearings later this week, as in previous years.

It’s a concern on two counts. One, a promise has been broken -“ why make the promise in the first place? -“ and secondly, release the actuary reports so we can see what the actual costs are on a year-by-year basis.

Sherry said an elected Labor government would introduce the changes as soon as possible.

It’s a firm promise and we will be delivering it, he said.

Comsuper Action Committee can be contacted on 9358 1710 or email [email protected].