ADMINISTRATIVE: Yearning for the single life

CASE: Pietsch and Secretary, Department of Social Services [2024] AATA 2678

In May 2020, Russell Pietsch was 70 years old and newly in love. His young bride Tresha was 18 years old and living in the Philippines.

But there was a bug in their budding romance. For 6 years Russell had been receiving the age pension at the single rate and now that he was in a relationship, his payments were cut.

Russell was not going to take this lying down! He appealed all the way to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.

The key question for consideration was this: Was there any special reason why Russell should continue to receive the single age pension when he was not single?