Partner Income Testing

Question

1. Why is income testing based on a partner's earnings even though a person may not receive any of their partner's income? 2. Given that partner income testing can trap people in abusive relationships, why does the government maintain it? 3. Why does the government maintain the partner income test regime that disproportionately traps First Nations Indigenous women in financial dependence and unsafe relationships? 4. What consultation has been done with First Nations Indigenous community-controlled organisations on the impact of Partner Income Testing? What has been done with the feedback that has been obtained from these consultations? 5. In the last and current financial year, how many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have had payments reduced or denied because of Partner Income Testing? 6. How can the government claim to be investing in First Nations-led efforts to reduce domestic and family violence while maintaining a policy that leaves First Nations Indigenous women financially dependent on unsafe partners and makes it harder to leave? 7. If the government already creates exemptions from mutual obligations on the grounds of domestic violence, why not prevent the harm in the first place by stopping partner income testing to allow financial independence? 8. Why are people who rely on disability support pensions effectively being penalised for being in a relationship or getting married via the partner income test? 9. Why is the government still relying on an outdated male-breadwinner model, through the partner income test regime, that no longer reflects how people live? 10. How can the government claim to support women while maintaining a policy that strips women of financial independence? 11. Why must victim-survivors prove abuse before they can access enough money to leave the abusive relationship? 12. Will the partner income test be included in the Government's current audit of "key Commonwealth systems to identify where they are being weaponised by perpetrators of family, domestic and sexual violence in order to stamp out opportunities for systems abuse"? If not, why not? a. When is this audit expected to be concluded, and who will it be shared with?

Answer

Please see attached answer.

Documents

• Question with answer (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
• DSS SQ26-000329.pdf (opens in a new tab)