Jan McLucas (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Aged Care, Disabilities and Carers) Share this | Hansard source

I indicate on behalf of the Labor Party that we will be supporting the Democrat amendment. We concur that a definition of ‘spouse’ is required and the issues of inequity that have been raised are valid. During the second select committee of inquiry into Medicare, the issue was raised, particularly with respect to the application of the safety net. What it means in effect is that a heterosexual couple will qualify for application of the safety net far earlier than a homosexual couple in similar circumstances. A heterosexual couple with an ill child will achieve the threshold of the safety net far earlier than a homosexual couple with a child who is similarly ill. We have to ask: where is the equity in that? How fair is it that one child would receive support from the government because that child’s parent just happened to be heterosexual, whereas the other child—simply because the parent happened to be gay—missed out on support through the Medicare safety net? We still maintain our concern about the application of the safety net in a broader question, but the clarification of the definition of ‘spouse’ would at least provide some equity to families in the application of the safety net. For those reasons Labor will be supporting this amendment. I urge the government to give it consideration.