╨╧рб▒с>■  57■   6                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                ье┴` Ё┐мbjbj╦s╦s ."ййм      дЎЎЎЎЎЎЎF─  Jь>>>>>>>>╔╦╦╦╦╦╦$6hЮ*яЎ >>  яЎЎ>>╔╔╔ .Ў>Ў>╔╔ ╔╔╔ЎЎ╔>2 ┘З0╝╞-R╔╔0J╔╚@╚╔╔╘╚ЎЭ,>ZШ@╔╪4 є>>>яя┐ >>>J       ДО Д   О $.    ЎЎЎЎЎЎ     19th June 2006 HREOC - Same-Sex Entitlements Inquiry On behalf of the The ALSO Foundation (one of Australia's oldest and largest gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender support organisations), I am pleased to provide this brief submission to the Same Sex Entitlements National Inquiry. Our submission contains attachments of documents that we have developed over the past 2 years, much of which should be relevant to the HREOC Inquiry. My apology for the slight delay in sending this to you. The attachments include: 1) 2004 election documents - these documents were prepared in the lead up to the 2004 federal election, outlining areas of discrimination and the legislative and policy reforms required to achieve equality for GLBT people. Attached documents are; a) Background to the Making it Equal project, b) Health & Well-being, c) Human Rights, d) Immigration and foreign policy, e) Parents & children, f) Relationship recognition, g) Work & money. 2) Superannuation - despite reforms to superannuation laws by both state and federal governments, superannuation remains an area of confusion and inequality for many GLBT people. In March 2006 we prepared 2 documents with the aim of assisting GLBT people in understanding superannuation. Attached documents are; a) Super Overview, b) Super Doc - common questions and answers. I am aware of and have been involved with the development of submissions to your Inquiry made by the Equal Opportunity Commission Victoria and the Law Institute of Victoria. I believe that these submissions spell out quite clearly many examples of entitlement discrimination impacting on same sex couples and families. Finally I wish to conclude our brief submission by reminding the Inquiry of the damage that discrimination against a segment of the community because of an inherent trait - in this case sexuality - can have. Lack of equality degrades the self worth of people and undermines their relationships. The Howard governments 2004 amendment to the Marriage Act is a recent reminder of the impact that government lead discrimination can have on innocent people. Following are some quotes from letters we received during the 2004 Marriage Act amendment process and the resulting Senate Inquiry. [Name Withheld]: УI'm a 17 year old gay male and I don't feel safe or comfortable in my own country. I had heard of this act before. Trying to change things so they can lawfully discriminate against Gay and Lesbian people. It IS discrimination, because if it wasn't, I wouldn't feel like my government hates me for who I amЕ. In this country I feel like I am not as deserving as a heterosexual person. Like IТm some kind of freak or mutant and that the government wants to get rid of me. It makes me so sad and I can't do anything about it because I donТt matter. [Details removed] I am a 17 year old lesbian from Ballarat. These new actions have now placed a new fear in me as now I am unsure whether it is ok for me to feel attracted to the same sex. I wanted to one day get married and adopt a child and now I am unsure whether I want to. Please help me. What do I do now? We are male persons in our mid to late 70s. Since 1948 we have lived in a permanent and loving male relationship as partners in Melbourne ЕЕ It is puzzling to learn of disdain for same-sex couples as somehow unworthy citizens intent on undermining traditional respect for marriage and family, and not even deserving of privileges extended to de facto couples. It has long been disappointing to same-sex couples such as ours that we have been denied such recognition and rights of Уsurvivor benefitsФ similar to those of heterosexual partnerships. (Our own partnership has lasted 56 years.) Relationship equality for same sex couples and families in entitlements and responsibility is urgently needed in Australia. It is my hope that in achieving this result GLBT people will take greater pride in themselves, their relationships and their families, resulting in a stronger and more cohesive society. I wish HREOC well with its Inquiry and we very much look forward to the outcome of your work in this area. 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