Nobody should be forced to choose between love and survival.
The base Disability Support Pension (DSP) rate for a single person, over 21, is $619/week. For a coupled person, the pension rate is $467/week.
For a couple (married or defacto), this rate is cut by 25 cents for every dollar you, or your partner earns over $198 per week.
¹ Single who earns an income under $113/week.
²Combined couple income under $198/week before the rate is cut.
³Combined couple income equal to just one average. median weekly earning ie, $1425/week
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics Aug 2025. Figures are approximate and show before tax income, in line with how support payments are calculated.
What does this mean for most couples? 🧑❤️💋🧑
If your partner earns any version of an ordinary weekly income, your DSP rate is cut to just $160/week. That’s not even enough to cover your half of the rent*, let alone groceries, necessities or a little treat (imagine!).
*The average cost of renting a unit is $690/week in capital cities and $550 in regional cities.
These rules aren’t just discriminatory, they also increase the risk of financial abuse and entrapment in unsafe relationships.
An independent 2026 Australia-wide survey of DSP recipients with 794 responses found:
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said the partner income test had made them scared of, or stopped them from, getting married or registering a relationship. |
reported inability to pay bills such as rent and utilities |
said the policy had made them feel unsafe or prevented them from leaving a relationship. |
This creates an impossible choice for DSP recipients: lose your support, or lose the chance to be with the person you love.
That's why the Greens are calling for the unjust DSP partner rules to be abolished.
P.S. The partner income test is just one problem. The base DSP rate itself is not liveable. The Rental Affordability Snapshot 2026* found that just 17 rentals in the entire nation were actually affordable to someone on the DSP, even when single. The DSP must be increased along with all income support payments, because everyone deserves to afford a roof over their head and the resources they need to be happy and healthy.