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The Inquiry Team: Vanessa Lesnie, Kate Temby, Susan Newell, Samantha Edmonds, Kate Fitzgerald, Emily Gray, Frances Simmons, Alessandra Krilis, Jemma Hollonds, Avril Cox

The 2006-07 year has been largely dedicated to identifying and eliminating the discrimination faced by people in same-sex relationships in accessing basic financial and work-related entitlements.

The 2007-08 year has involved work on a wide range of human rights issues. This year we set ourselves the task of creating a significant human rights resource on the Human Rights web pages of the HREOC website.

A community guide to the National Inquiry into Discrimination against People in Same-Sex Relationships: Financial and Work-Related Entitlements and Benefits

Read the Same-Sex: Same Entitlements Report, which outlines human rights protection in areas such as marriage, family law, employment, and health care.

This is an Inquiry into discrimination against same-sex couples regarding access to financial and work-related entitlements and benefits. Many of Australia’s laws exclude same-sex couples from financial and work-related entitlements and benefits that are enjoyed by heterosexual couples. For example, same-sex couples do not enjoy the same tax and health concessions as other de facto couples…

Review the Same-Sex: Same Entitlements Report, which was collated after 18 community forums were held around Australia in 2006.

The Inquiry held seven formal public hearings around Australia between 26 July 2006 and 20 October 2006. Overall, 32 organisations and 44 individuals appeared at the public hearings.

All persons are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to the equal protection of the law. In this respect, the law shall prohibit any discrimination and guarantee to all persons equal and effective protection against discrimination on any ground...

Photos of the Launch Hon. John von Doussa QC, President HREOC Grame Innes, Human Rights Commissioner Susan Everingham Peter Fitzsimons Fran Kelly People at the Launch

This chapter describes how the Inquiry gathered information and community views about discrimination against same-sex couples and their children. In particular, the chapter addresses the following questions:

The following is a selection of extracts from these stories.[1] The stories demonstrate the compound effect of discrimination against same-sex families in the area of financial and work-related entitlements.

This chapter explains how the provisions of international human rights treaties protect same-sex couples and their children, in the context of accessing financial and work-related entitlements. In particular, this chapter focuses on the right to non-discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. It also describes how the breach of that right can interfere with a range of other basic human…

The same-sex partner of a federal government employee is denied access to certain superannuation and workers’ compensation death benefits available to an opposite-sex partner.

It is simple to remove discrimination against same-sex couples in laws conferring financial and work-related benefits: amend the definitions describing a couple to include same-sex and opposite-sex couples alike.

Workers’ compensation schemes are intended to provide compensation to an employee who is incapacitated because of a work-related accident or to an employee’s dependants if the employee dies because of a work-related accident.

Protecting the best interests of a child is one of the most important principles of international law and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in particular. This chapter focuses on whether federal law currently protects the best interests of a child being raised by lesbian or gay parents.

The following chapter summarises the findings and recommendations made in each of Chapters 4 – 16 in this report. This chapter should be read in conjunction with Appendix 1 which sets out the list of legislation to be amended in order to eliminate discrimination against same-sex couples and their children.

Employment is fundamental to the lives of Australian families. For many individuals, work is their major activity outside the home, and ensures their family’s financial security.

Same-Sex: Same Entitlements Report back to Contents Glossary Term Explanation adoptive parent A person who has legally adopted a child. ART assisted reproductive technology. ART child A child conceived through ART. assisted reproductive technology Conception other than through intercourse, including in vitro fertilisation, clinically-assisted donor insemination and self-insemination. birth…