STOP the partner income assessment !

I’m writing to you today to ask a very simple yet important question on behalf of many others that are apart of the disabled community. When will we get the quality of life we deserve? 

We want what every able bodied person wants, love, to create a family, to create a home, to grow old with someone and to feel like we’ve amounted to something. You see the issue is that we’re limited. Not only do we have to find someone who is willing to spend their entirety living with our high level of needs and care but we need someone who is willing to support us financially and understand and accept that their needs and wants in life will undoubtedly change. We aren’t able to help our life partners bring in enough money to even get by in this economy…with 46% of those with a disability who can’t work full time, part time or even casual. Trust me, I have tried and been met with discrimination and unfortunately a worsening situation for my disability and mental health, which is the case for many others too. Majority of us solely depend on the Centrelink Disability Support Pension to live and unfortunately our financial situation will change drastically if and when we meet someone and declare a relationship. It will likely take away a big chunk if not all of our pension. How are we supposed to live? Why do we have to rely on someone else to make up our part so we can live the quality of life we deserve? Why should what our life partner makes effect how much we get to make it by in life. We already can’t work and can’t make a figure on the lower scale of the minimum wage. Why do our disabilities have a price tag? Why does that price tag change when we get to experience some sort of normalcy in life e.g a romantic relationship? That isn’t how it works for any abled body human being so why is it different for us? It’s discrimination and ableism. Does that not bother you?

How are we supposed to get anywhere in life if we don’t have a stable, safe and reliable income of our own.  We are our own individual people, our relationship status shouldn’t affect our income, something we’re entitled too. It’s a massive chain effect, just to live our life with somebody effects our income which means we will have to choose between food or medication, bills or care necessities. No non disabled being has to face this reality, they get the freedom and rights the disabled community so badly yearn for.

Why are people of the disability community constantly left behind? Why do we constantly miss out anon fairness?Are you aware that these things that abled bodied people have put in place in regards to OUR lives make us feel like burdens, like we’re not good enough, undeserving and unworthy beings. We already lack so much independence and control. I am one of many that have tried to commit suicide due to feeling hopeless and undeserving, unfortunately 5.2% of our community have lost their lives to suicide for those exact reasons. That 5.2% is only data pulled from those who had access to disability services, it is suggested that unfortunately that percentage would actually be higher if it were based on the whole disabled population not just those registered to disability services. There are over 750,000 on the DSP in Australia so that 5.2% means over 39,000 lives have been lost to suicide. 

We deserve to live our lives equally to what those who aren’t disabled do. We deserve to live independently, have the opportunity to be able to afford living out of home (if applicable), to be able to love and experience partnership. To find someone who not only accepts me for me but also accepts that I can’t bring anything to the table other then a heart full of love and a great sense of humour, which unfortunately doesn’t pay the bills as I’m no Carl Barron. It won’t give that person the opportunities in life they would have if they were with someone who isn’t disabled and can earn a living and be considered “successful” based on societal standards. I just want to live, I want to love, I want to be happy, I want us all to have quality of life. I don’t want myself and others to feel like a burden, like we’re unlovable and an inconvenience. I want us to have the same experiences and opportunities like everyone else. Do we not deserve that? 

Statistics and data evidence

With that being said, what is stopping the government funding remaining the same regardless of one’s relationship status? I earn $1026.50 fortnightly as someone with a disability who is classed as dependent due to living in my family home. That however would change and increase if I chose to live independently and on my own. It once again would change if I then choose to live life with someone by my side even though to myself I would still be independent financially as my money is my money. Based on statistics and data reports the average annual income is gross $69,888 year, however it is sitting around $55,310 per year after tax. On my disability support pension I’m earning $24,624 per year. that’s quite a big gap just from the average earnings, $30,686 to be exact. Could you imagine if I was declared in relationship, I’d be earning nothing and living off another persons income. I would be dependent once again on someone else to get by in life while we struggle on one income at an average of $55,310 per year. Might I remind you those statistics of $55,310 per year is the average for one persons income, how is that supposed to accomodate for two? Now those data reports are based on full time employment but even the average earnings of a casual position are $54,306 per year after tax or a lower average of $47,788 per year. That’s still $29,682 difference between my yearly income on the disability support pension and the lower average of a casual worker in Australia. My yearly income doesn’t even make a dent in the average annual income for Australians. If you take my yearly income and add it to the average annual income of a full time employee after tax you will get $79,310.. that is still under the average annual income for a household which is a gross income of $116,584 which would roughly sit around $85,895 after tax. I think the partner income assessment should be cut all together. If anything shouldn’t those declared in a relationship on the disability support pension just be classed as dependant and get the base amount for that category? 

I don’t think I and many others who live and struggle with disabilities are asking for to much. We just want to live, feel equal, feel supported as well as feel a sense of independence and like we can bring something to the table. We want a sense of accomplishment and success even if that’s just being able to provide our loved ones and/or family with a full tank of gas or food on the table.

Labor parliament states they are all for those who work but what about those who can not? My local member of parliament is Nikki Boyd and in her election speech she stated that labour’s values are equality, opportunity, fairness and reform. So I ask on behalf of the disability community, when will we start to see any of that? It is also cited that decisions made in this place by the government can hurt or help and I can reassure you that there is a whole community out here hurting and crying out for help. We deserve fairness, we deserve equality. We need change. 

Please sign in support for the disabled community so we can get the support we need. Let’s be the change we want to see, let’s stand with each other and fight for the fairness we deserve. 

Thank you.