Australians deserve dignity, safety, and independence. Yet the current welfare system ties financial support to a partner’s income, leaving many trapped in abusive relationships or struggling to survive.

These rules affect people with disabilities, older people, carers, parents and many others on income support—this doesn't just harm individuals currently on Centrelink. This could impact anyone at any time. An illness, injury, or sudden hardship could cause you to rely on government support. And under the current system, your financial independence could disappear overnight.

This isn’t just a welfare issue. It could be you.

It’s time to abolish partner income tests and create a fairer, more compassionate system for all Australians.

The Disability Support Pension (DSP), Aged Pension and Carer Payment is designed to support those who cannot work. Yet its partner income test reduces or eliminates payments if a partner earns even a modest income.

This policy fails to reflect real-life challenges:

• 46% of disabled Australians cannot work and rely solely on the DSP to survive.
• The DSP provides just $1,026.50 per fortnight ($24,636 annually)—a $30,000 gap compared to the average individual income of $55,310 after tax.
• In relationships, a DSP recipient and their partner often have a combined income that falls below the average household income of $85,895 after tax, leaving them in financial strain.

The government’s own National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children emphasises the importance of financial independence for safety and equality. Yet the Partner Income Test forces people into financial dependency, leaving them vulnerable to economic abuse and unable to leave unsafe relationships.

Partner income rules also harm those facing unexpected life challenges. One supporter shared:

“I had to leave work to undergo cancer treatment. Because of my husband’s income, I could only receive $1,000 a fortnight on JobSeeker. Centrelink complications made it impossible to get support during chemo, so I had to return to work early, risking my health.”

Partner income rules punish people for being in relationships. This is unfair, unsustainable, and unsafe.

I call on the Australian Government to:

• Abolish partner income tests across all affected payments to ensure financial independence.
• Raise all payments to reflect the rising cost of living and provide recipients with a liveable income.
• Implement safeguards to protect against economic abuse, ensuring victims have access to secure financial support.

We cannot let this continue.

Sign this petition to demand dignity, fairness, and equality for all Australians. Welfare should empower people, not trap them in poverty or dependence. Together, we can fix this broken system and create one that truly supports those who need it most.

No one should have to choose between safety and survival. Join us in demanding change.

2026 UPDATES:

• New report: the Human Cost of the Partner Income Test. Almost 800 Australians were surveyed on the impact of the Partner Income Test in my independent report. Read it report here . Findings show consistent pattern of harms: loss of financial independence, material hardship, relationship strain, fear of disclosure, safety barriers and loss of autonomy.
• New campaign group demanding change to the Partner Income Test. Head to their website and get involved here. 
• Greens Senator Penny Allman-Payne demanded the end to partner income testing here.
• 9News reported on the Partner Income Test The 'archaic' rule forcing Australians with a disability to choose between 'love and survival'.

2025 UPDATES:

• My parliament e-petition EN7076 received 19,026 signatures. It was presented to the House of Representatives and responded to by the Minister for Social Services, Tanya Plibersek, on the 27th of July 2025 - download her response here . The Minister claimed the income test is a work incentive. I reject this response, and it fails to address all 3 demands; abolishing the partner income test, raising all payments to reflect the cost of living, and implementing safeguards to protect against economic abuse.
• The ABC/Triple J Hack reported on the Partner Income Test and the petition here and on Instagram here.
• A policy intern at Fore Australia recommended removing the Partner Income Test on the DSP, citing the petition!
• The Australian Greens are campaigning to abolish DSP partner income rules.
• Powerd Media reported on our campaign here.

For more information, questions or concerns email: sophiaredjeb@hotmail.com