Dancing About Architecture

Gay Couples Get Financial Equality

The Federal Government is introducing legislation into parliament that will give gay couples the same rights as de facto heterosexual couples in terms of taxation, superannuation, social security and aged care.  However, the government stops short of legally recognising gay couples as one of their election promises was not to introduce same-sex marriage. Yes, you heard that right, to pander to the homophobic Christian voters, the government promised never to legalise same-sex marriage.

Now, I am happy that Lelak and I will finally be recognised as a couple for our 2009 tax return instead of having to file as two separate individuals.  We may actually get a decent tax return.  However, I am pissed off that the Rudd government won’t grow a pair of balls and introduce civil unions for gay and straight couples. Come on, Kevin Rudd, make some ground breaking legislation and give gay couples legal recognition.  Call it a civil union so that you can keep your promise of not legalising same-sex marriage,  it is just a name.  All I want is the same right afforded every other citizen in this country and that is to have my relationship legally recognised and respected.  I am sick of living like a second class citizen in my own country.

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Light Reading?

Besides doing two loads of laundry and taking the dogs for a walk, I have spent the remainder of the day on the couch reading.  Such a relaxing way to spend a Saturday.  I have read two books this afternoon, “A Child Called It” and “A Brother’s Journey”.  Both books are about surviving child abuse.  The authors are brothers and both tell their version of growing up in the same abusive household.  Not exactly light reading, but the books were ones I couldn’t put down.  It was amazing the extent of their abuse and yet nobody did anything until it was almost too late.  The older brother got pulled out of the house and put in foster care, but the younger brother was left there to survive as best he could.  Back in the 70s nobody talked about child abuse, what happened behind closed doors stayed behind closed doors.  Today there is much more awareness about it, but still not enough to save kids from abusive situations or to stop things before they get a chance to escalate to the point of abuse.  With women having kids to cash in on the baby bonus without any thought about how they can afford to care for the children, I can see the incidence of child abuse and neglect escalating in Australia.  Already the foster care system is at breaking point, it simply can not provide for the number of children needing care.  I am sure as hell the Howard government never thought about these kids when they decided to throw money at women, who have no business having kids, for them to breed and keep on breeding.  I wonder if the Rudd government has the balls to scrap this scheme and put the money towards providing paid maternity leave and a better foster care system.

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An interesting fall out of the current baby boom

Long time readers will know the story of my failed pap smear and my GP referring me to RPA to see a gynecological specialist. I have put off making the appointment, because it literally scares me to death. Today I bit the bullet and called the number my GP had given me. Instead of speaking to a person I got a machine which cheerfully informed me that “during this busy time there is no one to answer my call” and to please leave my name and number and someone would call me within 3 business days. That’s right, it is going to take me three days just to make an appointment. The OBGYNs at the public hospitals are so damn busy dealing with everyone that is currently pregnant that it will take me three days to make an appointment to see a specialist for a non-pregnancy related issue.

When Peter Costello decided to throw money at women for them to reproduce did he throw money at the public health care system to deal with all these pregnant women? Of course not! Therefore our already unfunded, stretched to the limit health care system has reached breaking point and what does the government do? Well it bitches and moans about the health care system being a state problem whilst it throws even more money at women to get pregnant. Seriously I am starting to think that the quickest way I will get in to see an OBGYN is if I get pregnant and then the government will give me $5,000 for my troubles. Also I would get my surgery done a lot quicker cause hell, I need it done to be able to have my kid.

Fuck, I hate dealing with the public health care system. However, such is the joy of having a chronic illness and other health related issues that I must negotiate the shambles that is our health care system.

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YES!!!!!

Howard has conceded, Rudd has claimed victory and it looks highly likely that Howard will also lose his seat.

I am going to bed one extremely happy vegemite. It has been a long eleven and a half years under the Howard government during which Australia has become a much meaner and selfish society. Maybe, just maybe, we can all work together to change this and go back to the society where you actually speak to your neighbours, you smile at people on the streets and you give a damn about your fellow Australians.

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Voting in the Rain

It is weird drizzly day here in Sydney - cold one moment and humid the next as I joined my neighbours at the local high school around lunchtime to vote. Unlike other years, there was actually a line so we stood sheltering from the drizzle waiting to vote for about 15 minutes. Long enough to take a good look at the election posters and the poor volunteers standing in the weather.
Dom Knight from the SMH has given a really good wrap up of the electioneering styles at an inner city polling booth and my experience closely matched his.
I took great pleasure in numbering all 79 boxes on the Senate voting form. It was really hard deciding who to put last - One Nation, Family First, Liberals or Pauline - but I managed to make my decision.
All that is left to do is to settle down this evening and tune into the ABC’s Election coverage. It is going to be a really tight contest and may well end in a hung parliament.

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