Kate Chaney (Curtin, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Australians living with disability deserve dignity, independence and fairness. The current partner income test for the disability support pension undermines these fundamental human rights. The DSP exists to recognise that disability can limit a person's capacity to work and earn an income. Yet, for tens of thousands of Australians, that support is reduced or removed altogether simply because they're in a relationship. This policy punishes people for having a supportive relationship and actively discourages autonomy.

According to Department of Social Services data from August 2025, about 155,000 Australians receiving the DSP are partnered. Of these, 18 per cent report that their partner has an income. In many cases, these earnings are modest yet still significantly reduce or entirely cancel a person's pension. The same doesn't apply to parents' income when an adult with disability receives the DSP while living in their parents' home. Under current eligibility rules, a couple living together can earn just $380 in combined income per fortnight before the DSP begins to be reduced. Every additional dollar reduces the DSP further. This policy assumes that couples can simply pool their resources and that a partner can and should financially support a person with disability who cannot access the workforce.

My constituents have told me about the impact of this policy on their ability to live with dignity and autonomy. I recently met Taylor and her partner, who were flatmates before beginning a de facto relationship. When they began their relationship, Taylor reported the change to Centrelink. As a result, her DSP was reduced to a nominal amount while Taylor's partner completed his PhD and undertook part-time work. Taylor no longer receives any DSP now that her partner has started working full time. Taylor and her partner would like to save for a home and start a family, but they say these goals are unachievable in their current financial circumstances. Another woman in my electorate told me her husband is an early career researcher whose income reduces her DSP to just $160 a fortnight. She has no financial autonomy. Her husband pays for everything, and she described feeling 'expensive to maintain'. She told me the experience is humiliating and deeply disempowering. Another constituent explained that qualifying for the DSP was an already exhausting and degrading process that results in a woefully inadequate payment once a partner's income is assessed.

The Parliamentary Budget Office estimates the cost of removing the partner income test would be approximately $250 million per year. This reform would benefit about 34,000 partnered DSP recipients who currently receive only a partial payment or none at all. In the context of the federal budget, this would be a reasonable and just investment. It would restore autonomy, reduce financial stress and recognise people with disability as individuals, not dependants.