Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance and Administration) Share this | Hansard source

The government will not be supporting the amendments, although the government has publicly indicated that it is in favour of removing discrimination against people in interdependency relationships but is not limiting it to same-sex relationships. I think I have said before in the chamber that we do not confine it to same-sex relationships; we look at it in a broader sense in relation to interdependency relationships.

The report of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission was only handed down on 21 June this year and, as Senator Murray indicated, there are 58 acts to change in respect of the piece of legislation. Turning to Senator Sherry’s questions, there are no officials here who can give us an update on the percentage of tax file numbers that are identifiable, so I will have to take that on notice. I am not sure that the other question warrants a response but, as far as I am aware, there are no investigations into the issue that he raised.