Personal Partners
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
I support the government plan to recognise couples other than married/de facto for financial and legal purposes, but I would like to see a broader approach. The recognition of couples should not depend on physical intimacy.
There are many couples, sometimes old friends of the same or opposite gender, sometimes siblings or cousins, who choose to live together and pool their resources. Any such couple should have the option to declare themselves “personal partners”.
Personal partners should have the right to be officially treated as such, recognised in respect of tax, super, migration, intestate wills, togetherness in aged care, involvement in each other’s hospitalisation, etc.
These people should not have to have sex to have the right to sign up to be recognised by the state as personal partners.
Philip O'Carroll