The mystery of the missing stamps

Melbourne philatelist Bernie Manning is selling his award-winning collection of pre-1913 Queensland stamps on Saturday through Prestige Philately, including a green sixpence that was never officially issued. "The circumstances of its release are certainly shrouded in mystery," says the catalogue. "But there can be no doubt that a small number were sold to the public, apparently at the Parcels Branch at the Brisbane GPO." Those that escaped the system are now worth at least $30,000 each.

Same-sex parity

From July 1, same-sex partners will be treated the same as opposite-sex de facto partners under superannuation, tax and social security and family assistance laws. IOOF has announced it has aligned its products and services to meet these reforms, including: death benefits in super, contribution splitting and salary sacrificing, tax and government super changes, social security and family assistance as well as family law super splitting. Fifty-thousand same-sex couples declared their relationships in the 2006 census.

Worried but saving

Veda Advantage's latest Australian Debt Report shows almost half of those surveyed had reduced their amount of debt compared with 12 months ago yet 80 per cent were still worried about their ability to repay bills.

Talking 'bout my generation

Interviewed in the South Sydney Herald, Doug Sutherland, Lord Mayor of Sydney from 1980-87, describes himself as belonging to "Generation P". Like many others born during the Great Depression, he contracted polio as a child. Now aged 76, Sutherland still runs a busy accountancy practice.