Clover’s civil commitment

Writing to the new state attorney-general last week, Clover Moore called on the Labor government to keep up with advances for same-sex couples seen in other states and overseas.

Moore highlighted that Tasmania, New Zealand, and the UK had all introduced legislation that provided recognition of and some legal equality for same-sex relationships, with Victoria set to follow.

The reforms made in these jurisdictions demonstrate a trend for increased legal recognition of same-sex relationships -“ NSW citizens have not yet benefited from this reform, she wrote.

Moore also called on attorney-general John Hatzistergos to consult with the gay and lesbian community and organisations and keep them informed about the options for moving forward.

Moore said it was important for same-sex couples to have the greater certainty and simpler recognition of relationships that come from civil unions as an alternative to de facto provisions.

The City of Sydney, over which Moore presides as lord mayor, provides a relationship register for both same-sex and mixed-sex couples which confers recognition but no legal rights.

Liberal councillor Shayne Mallard said that despite voting for the register, he and his male partner had not signed, because it’s just not good enough to rely on a non-legal document by the local council.

People have registered on it, and I congratulate them, but it’s just tokenism, he said.

All I want is civil unions -“ there’s nothing to be frightened of.

Britain’s got civil unions and the Scottish and British parliaments passed civil union laws and they’re more conservative than Australia and NSW, you’d have thought, he said.

Melbourne’s The Age is reporting this week that Victorian premier Steve Bracks will support a state-wide relationship register, perhaps before the end of the year.

The plan has been widely praised by organisations from the gay and lesbian community, the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission and the Australian Christian Lobby.

The ACL, a player in the federal moves to overturn the ACT’s civil union legislation, appears to have offered acceptance because the proposal does not include provision for adoption.

Several organisations advocating equality for same-sex couples used the confirmation to highlight discrimination still present in federal legislation.