Andrew Murray (WA, Australian Democrats) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move Democrats amendment (1) on sheet 5402 revised:

(1)    Page 25 (after line 28), at the end of the bill, add:

Defence Force Retirement and Death Benefits Act 1973

1  Subsection 3(1)

Insert:

de facto relationship means a relationship between two people living together as a couple on a genuine domestic basis, where the two people are not legally married:

             (a)    in determining whether two people are in a de facto relationship, the circumstances of the relationship must be considered as a whole. Without limiting the generality of this paragraph, those circumstances may include:

                   (i)    the length of their relationship;

                  (ii)    how long and under what circumstances they have lived together;

                 (iii)    whether there is a sexual relationship between them;

                 (iv)    their degree of financial dependence or interdependence, and any arrangements for financial support, between or by them;

                  (v)    the ownership, use and acquisition of their property, including any property that they own individually;

                 (vi)    their degree of mutual commitment to a shared life;

                (vii)    whether they mutually care for and support children;

               (viii)    the performance of household duties;

                  (ix)    the reputation, and public aspects, of the relationship between them;

                   (x)    the existence of a statutory declaration signed by both persons stating that they regard themselves to be in a de facto relationship with the other person;

             (b)    a de facto relationship may be between two people of the same gender;

             (c)    a de facto relationship is a beneficiary relationship.

Note:   A person in a marital relationship is taken to be legally married—see subsection 8A(2) of the Superannuation Act 1976.

Parliamentary Contributory Superannuation Act 1948

2  Subsection 4(1)

Insert:

de facto relationship means a relationship between two people living together as a couple on a genuine domestic basis, where the two people are not legally married:

             (a)    in determining whether two people are in a de facto relationship, the circumstances of the relationship must be considered as a whole. Without limiting the generality of this paragraph, those circumstances may include:

                   (i)    the length of their relationship;

                  (ii)    how long and under what circumstances they have lived together;

                 (iii)    whether there is a sexual relationship between them;

                 (iv)    their degree of financial dependence or interdependence, and any arrangements for financial support, between or by them;

                  (v)    the ownership, use and acquisition of their property, including any property that they own individually;

                 (vi)    their degree of mutual commitment to a shared life;

                (vii)    whether they mutually care for and support children;

               (viii)    the performance of household duties;

                  (ix)    the reputation, and public aspects, of the relationship between them;

                   (x)    the existence of a statutory declaration signed by both persons stating that they regard themselves to be in a de facto relationship with the other person;

             (b)    a de facto relationship may be between two people of the same gender;

             (c)    a de facto relationship is a beneficiary relationship.

3  The whole of the Act

Amend so that every occurrence of “marital” is omitted and substituted by “beneficiary”.

Superannuation Act 1976

4  The whole of the Act

Amend so that every occurrence of “marital” is omitted and substituted by “beneficiary”.

5  Subsection 3(1)

Insert:

de facto relationship means a relationship between two people living together as a couple on a genuine domestic basis, where the two people are not legally married:

             (a)    in determining whether two people are in a de facto relationship, the circumstances of the relationship must be considered as a whole. Without limiting the generality of this paragraph, those circumstances may include:

                   (i)    the length of their relationship;

                  (ii)    how long and under what circumstances they have lived together;

                 (iii)    whether there is a sexual relationship between them;

                 (iv)    their degree of financial dependence or interdependence, and any arrangements for financial support, between or by them;

                  (v)    the ownership, use and acquisition of their property, including any property that they own individually;

                 (vi)    their degree of mutual commitment to a shared life;

                (vii)    whether they mutually care for and support children;

               (viii)    the performance of household duties;

                  (ix)    the reputation, and public aspects, of the relationship between them;

                   (x)    the existence of a statutory declaration signed by both persons stating that they regard themselves to be in a de facto relationship with the other person;

             (b)    a de facto relationship may be between two people of the same gender;

             (c)    a de facto relationship is a beneficiary relationship.

6  Section 8A

Repeal the section, substitute:

        (1)    For the purposes of this Act, a person had a beneficiary relationship with another person at a particular time if the person has a marital or de facto relationship with the person and ordinarily lived with that other person on a permanent and bona fide domestic basis at that time.

        (2)    For the purpose of subsection (1), a person is to be regarded as ordinarily living with another person on a permanent and bona fide domestic basis at a particular time only if:

             (a)    the person had been living with that other person for a continuous period of at least 3 years up to that time; or

             (b)    the person had been living with that other person for a continuous period of less than 3 years up to that time and the Board, having regard to any relevant evidence, is of the opinion that the person ordinarily lived with that other person on a permanent and bona fide domestic basis at that time.

        (3)    For the purposes of this Act, a beneficiary relationship is taken to have begun at the beginning of the continuous period mentioned in paragraph (2)(a) or (b).

        (4)    For the purpose of subsection (2), relevant evidence includes, but is not limited to, evidence establishing any of the following:

             (a)    the person was wholly or substantially dependent on that other person at the time;

             (b)    the persons were legally married to each other at the time;

             (c)    the persons had a child who was:

                   (i)    born of the relationship between the persons; or

                  (ii)    adopted by the persons during the period of the relationship;

             (d)    the persons jointly owned a home which was their usual residence.

        (5)    For the purposes of this section, a person is taken to be living with another person if the Board is satisfied that the person would have been living with that other person except for a period of:

             (a)    temporary absence; or

             (b)    absence because of the person’s illness or infirmity.

Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993

7  Subsection 10(1) (definition of dependant)

After “interdependency”, insert “or de facto”.

8  After section 10A

Insert:

        (1)    For the purposes of this Act, 2 persons have a de facto relationship if they are living together as a couple on a genuine domestic basis, where the two people are not legally married.

        (2)    In determining whether 2 people are in a de facto relationship, the circumstances of the relationship must be considered as a whole. Without limiting the generality of this paragraph, those circumstances may include:

             (a)    the length of their relationship;

             (b)    how long and under what circumstances they have lived together;

             (c)    whether there is a sexual relationship between them;

             (d)    their degree of financial dependence or interdependence, and any arrangements for financial support, between or by them;

             (e)    the ownership, use and acquisition of their property, including any property that they own individually;

              (f)    their degree of mutual commitment to a shared life;

             (g)    whether they mutually care for and support children;

             (h)    the performance of household duties;

              (i)    the reputation, and public aspects, of the relationship between them;

              (j)    the existence of a statutory declaration signed by both persons stating that they regard themselves to be in a de facto relationship with the other person.

        (3)    A de facto relationship may be between two people of the same gender.

        (4)    A de facto relationship is a beneficiary relationship.

        (5)    The rights, entitlements and obligations of a person in an independency relationship extend in all respects to a person in a de facto relationship.

Veterans’ Entitlement Act 1986

9  Section 5E

Insert:

de facto relationship means a relationship between two people living together as a couple on a genuine domestic basis, where the relationship is not a marital relationship:

             (a)    in determining whether two people are in a de facto relationship, the circumstances of the relationship must be considered as a whole. Without limiting the generality of this paragraph, those circumstances may include:

                   (i)    the length of their relationship;

                  (ii)    how long and under what circumstances they have lived together;

                 (iii)    whether there is a sexual relationship between them;

                 (iv)    their degree of financial dependence or interdependence, and any arrangements for financial support, between or by them;

                  (v)    the ownership, use and acquisition of their property, including any property that they own individually;

                 (vi)    their degree of mutual commitment to a shared life;

                (vii)    whether they mutually care for and support children;

               (viii)    the performance of household duties;

                  (ix)    the reputation, and public aspects, of the relationship between them;

                   (x)    the existence of a statutory declaration signed by both persons stating that they regard themselves to be in a de facto relationship with the other person;

             (b)    a de facto relationship may be between two people of the same gender;

             (c)    a de facto relationship is a beneficiary relationship.

Workplace Relations Act 1996

10  Section 263 (definition of spouse)

Omit “de facto spouse” (twice occurring), substitute “de facto partner”.

11  Subsection 282(1)

Omit “a male”, (wherever occurring), substitute “an”.

12  Subsection 282(1)

After “his”, (wherever occurring), insert “or her”.

We do not need to revisit the arguments for this amendment; we have already heard them both the other day and today. In the interest of progressing debate on the bills remaining at this time, I will not speak further to this amendment. I do note that there are five pages to this one amendment.

Question negatived.

Original question agreed to.

Bill agreed to.

Bill reported without amendment; report adopted.