Gay pensioners required to out themselves to Centrelink
By James Carleton for Radio Australia
Feb 19, 2009
From July 1, Centrelink will recognise gay and lesbian relationships for the first time, but for same sex-couples receiving Centrelink payments, that hard-won equality comes at a price.
Under the changes, some may get less money, or lose their payments altogether, if their partner earns more than the income threshold.
And they will now be obliged to disclose their homosexuality to Centrelink.
For old-age pensioners in particular, that's raising concerns.
Gerontologist Jo Harrison says it is a traumatic prospect for some of the gay and lesbian pensioners she works with.
"It's a huge problem, even if it is kept secret by Centrelink, because we're talking about people who have lived lives where in their 20s they were arrested and bashed," she says.
"In their 30s they were subjected to shock treatment, in their 40s they had a lobotomy, in their 50s their were constantly discriminated against, in their 60s they experienced prejudice.
"Their entire life structure has been built around hiding, keeping the great silence and absolutely not having to, under any circumstances, out themselves to anyone.
"Now along comes a government department requiring them to declare [their sexuality]. And if they don't declare, or they lie and say, 'We're not a couple', then there is a threat of ultimately prosecution.
"It's dangerously close to elder abuse."
The issue is further complicated because many seniors in same-sex relationships do not consider themselves to be gay or lesbian.
Abridged
SOURCE: ABC NEWS (Australia)
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