John Challis is an Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n gay and lesbian rights activist,

known for his campaigns for equality in superannuation

Pension

In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...

 law. Challis makes media appearances as spokesman for the lobby group ComSuper Action Committee.

MP

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 Warren Entsch

Warren Entsch

Warren George Entsch is an Australian politician currently serving as a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives representing the Division of Leichhardt in Queensland...

 acknowledged Challis as being one of the leading campaigners for same-sex equality in Australia.
Challis worked for the ABC

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...

until 1988, before retiring. He and his partner survive from the income of his Commonwealth superannuation.

"I'm 79, my partner Arthur Cheeseman is 75. We've lived together for 40 years. Now I've got a Commonwealth pension. If I had a wife or a female de facto, if I died she would get two thirds of my pension for life. If I die first, Arthur gets nothing. That's the issue," said Challis.

"While we were both still working, in order that I could put extra money into superannuation, we lived mostly on his wages. So the pension is part of his investment also. I'm worried about what will happen to my partner when I die."

As Australia's most vocal campaigner for same-sex superannuation reform, Challis said in 2007 that at age 79, he and his partner could not afford to be patient.
The couple are planning for the possibility that Challis may die before the legislative changes occur.