Comments on: States under register pressure

By: Rod

Rod — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 10:45:12 +0000

Why do we denigrate relationship registries as being ‘registered like dogs’, when marriages have to be registered within a government-run registry… just like ‘dogs’ as well?

I support both!

By: David

David — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 08:32:19 +0000

That’s true Andrew. Victoria will overtake us very quickly. They also have a really cool all-gay radio station JoyFM, that helps to add to a real cohesive community atmosphere down there, and thier register is fully supported & endorsed by the VIC GLRL (both in it’s council form, and in it’s state form).
But at least NSW can’t say they don’t have any method for registering thier relationships- they have best ceremony choice & currently the most popular scheme to choose.

By: Andrew M. Potts

Andrew M. Potts — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 04:20:28 +0000

To be fair Tas has a very small population and the Vic register has only been around for one year. I’ll bet the use of the Victorian registry will have significantly outstripped the Sydney one in another year’s time.

By: David

David — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 11:49:00 +0000

According to last week’s SSO on page 7 titled “Sydney’s Register The Most Popular”, they Sydney Register is the most popular register in all of Australia.
The figures as follows: Sydney- 270 people signed up, Tas- 240 people, Vic- 188 people.
Making all this patchwork of outdated registers & outdated civil unions into a national scheme is not going to do much more in enticing any extra people to sign up, until they can access full equal civil marriage in a government registry office.
What is required is equal civil marriage (the thought of which makes some Labor factions sick on the stomach to defy thier leader KRudds wishes for a ban on all cceremonies that mimick marriage).
The popularity ranking of the Sydney/NSW scheme into No.1 place is a hard cold slap in the face for all those cynical Labor cronies (& even a couple of hardnut Labor-aligned gay groups) who have mysteriously never helped promote or endorse the landmark & popular Sydney Register, instead letting perhaps petting infighting make them choke on ever promoting it once. The mystery of the zero support from some “camps” stands out like dog’s b__s. They would rather downplay it’s popularity or even ignore it’s very existence. Instead, they would love to see Australia’s most popular register extinguished & replaced with a “replacement” state-wide scheme with the ceremony part removed!
In the meantime though, people are still signing up, making the Sydney Register the most popular register in Ausralia, and the only one with an official ceremony component.

By: Senior Sister

Senior Sister — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 04:17:11 +0000

Dogs are registered – people shouldn’t be. What’s more any such moves by either the states or the commonwealth will be putting a leash on us all. We fought for gay LIBERATION – not continuing oppression. Marriage and opt in arrangements are there to keep people in line. Be alive & resist!

By: Ben

Ben — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 02:54:42 +0000

I heard there were less than 200 people on the City of Sydney Register. It's not going to cascade anywhere. Leave it be and come join the fight to get a national recognition. Editor's Note: Try this link for more information: http://www.sstar.net.au/news/2009/04/16/victoria-becoming-marriage-state/2183

By: David

David — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 01:29:38 +0000

The City of Sydney civil union ceremony scheme has the most people signed up- more than any of the other state’s registers. The fight is here, as the fight is over ceremonies and anything that mimicks marriage- we at least we have our foot in the door & one scheme actually existing with a ceremony component that Howard & Rudd haven’t been able to shut down like they did the A.C.T. one (if they tried, they’d have a cat fight from hell with Clover Moore).
As far as national ceremonies, or even national equal civil marriage, it all can stem from this one foot in the door we already have & expand the fight from there. And like I said, although there are various factors at play, the City of Sydney scheme is the one that has the most people signed up to it (with virtualy no publicity, no endorsment, no support, even from our own Labor-aligned community leaders)
It’s a real thorn in the side for quite a few people, apart from the general gay public who have made it currently the most popular scheme in Australia, and the only one with an official ceremony component that hasn’t been banned/extinguished yet. And as for it “conferring legal rights”- it more than provides proof of status to confer all the new federal rights.

By: Ben

Ben — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 20:52:15 +0000

David, I want to see Federal recognition with ceremony, and while aspects of the Sydney City Council model may be useful, it’s not where the fight is.

By: Paul Mitchell

Paul Mitchell — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 09:04:10 +0000

I agree with Kirby [former HC judge], why would gays support a relationship register? – more like a dog or buskers licence. A licence to love [smells to me like a government plan to raise taxes].

By: David

David — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 10:42:52 +0000

Ben- my point exactly… the federal Labor government just want us “registered” like a dog, to access the federal defacto laws. Nothing more, nothing less. That’s it- just a register, which any council or state govt could do. The City of Syd one more than fulfils that basic “dog” requirement as you pointed out- BUT it also provides alot more dignity, with an official ceremony, and other key features. The official ceremony is also a real thorn in the side of the Christian Extremists who want to force Labor to act on a core election promise to ban ALL official ceremonies (govt OR council) on the grounds that they “mimick marriage”. (the 2004 marriage ban is now being used not only to ban same sex marriage, but also been extended in it’s interpretation to now ban anything that mimicks it!!!)
Make no mistake, the Christian Lobby want Labor to extinguish the ceremony component of the City of Sydney scheme. At the Christian Voters Conference organised by ACL/Family First, they pressured KRudd to make it a CORE election promise to ban all ceremonies that “mimick marriage”. He then proceeded to ban the A.C.T. ceremonies, and the Australian Christian Lobby now have thier sights set on the City of Sydney Relationship Declaration Ceremonies.

By: peter

peter — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 06:02:39 +0000

Why would Albert Davies be visiting a site such as this and making these comments. He obviously has a problem dealing with the Gay World and I agree
with Andrew …internalised homophobia….Sick Sick Sick

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 05:51:16 +0000

There a three best options that must all be implemented in Australia:

* Marriage for all couples;
* Relationship registories for all couples and carers, and;
* The current de facto status or unregistered cohabitation for couples

By: Jason

Jason — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 03:14:58 +0000

Albert – Your intolerance towards other people and things you dont understand is Sick Sick Sick.

By: Andrew Whitbread-Brown

Andrew Whitbread-Brown — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 01:11:20 +0000

me thinks that Albert has internalised homophobia

By: Gary Burns

Gary Burns — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 00:07:10 +0000

Albert Davies,(if that is your real name) are one very fucked up Australian.
What is not normal is the perverted and sick imbalance in your brain because your comment is vile and vilifying against homosexuals.
My aunty Patsy (who is heterosexual woman ) always says,”live & let live”.
What is your excuse Mr Davies ?
Do you just hate anything different ?
Or are you longing to suck a cock yourself ?

By: Ben

Ben — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 23:44:32 +0000

David, however you dress it up, the City of Sydney Register is nothing more than a local government ordinance.

By: Ronson (Katoomba)

Ronson (Katoomba) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 21:47:31 +0000

The hypocrisy of the federal government continues to astound me. I don’t know how McClelland can look at himself in the mirror in the mornings.

How can it argue to remove the federal areas of discrimination and now try to force registries at state level (my partner and I are not dogs) yet at the same time refuse to even discuss same-sex marriage?

We may think the religious right has a lot of sway in the US (and, of course, it does) but at least with various bills of right, state constitutions etc they can still at least find ways to introduce same-sex marriage.

By: David

David — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:37:17 +0000

NSW already has a “register” open to all NSW residents via mail to marriage celebrants, that even incorporates a facility for an officially recognised ceremony!!! Unless any new register covers ALL, yes ALL of the benefits & features of the existing NSW-wide register, then why bother duplicating it with a system with less features?
Anyone anywhere in NSW, even in the outback can have their local marriage celebrant perform an officially recognised ceremony under the current Relationship Declaration Ceremonies Program- http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/Community/ServicesAndPrograms/RelationshipsDeclarationProgram.asp
The ceremony could be co-ordinated locally in Dubbo by the local celebrant, the ceremony performed and officially recorded, with the Sydney City Council’s copy Express Posted back to them within 7 days of the ceremony being performed by the marriage celebrant- almost like the mechanics of a real wedding! Only in this case, it’s a formal recognition & proof of not only the existence of a defacto relationship, but agreed proof of how long it’s been in existence already. Wow!
If the purpose of these registers is to first & foremost prove the defacto relationship, then nothing does it better than this scheme, and even backdates/records how long you’ve ALREADY been together, with both parties signing off on this fact on both of the two originals of the form.
MOST critical too, is the officially-recognised ceremony! Many in other states have fought tooth & nail for that right, but NSW is the only state where an officially recognised ceremony is a reality. It snuck in under the radar & established on the Jan 15th 2005 relaunch, before ceremony bans in A.C.T. / VIC etc started popping up by Howard then Rudd :( . It is also the only officially recognised ceremony that can be performed by a marriage celebrant. With all the ceremony bans etc, any new register won’t include all this- so why dumb down to a register with less practical everyday-usable features.
Diehard “Labor supporters” will of course want the dumbed down version implemented to limit the thorn in the side the NSW-wide City of Sydney scheme is causing, but to quote Pink “So What!”.
At the end of the day, even Labor have said that the single purpose of the state schemes is that they are just a register to prove your defacto status to help access federal govt benefits etc. Well… the NSW-wide City of Sydney scheme satisfies that single purpose AND MUCH MUCH MORE AND IN A MUCH BETTER WAY (by recording how long you’ve already been together as well)… and you get an officialy recognised ceremony too! Don’t sell out & take that ceremony away from us just for petty politics.