Federal Government rejects registers ban
Attorney-General Robert McClelland has rejected any chance of rolling back same-sex relationship registers in response to petitions from 504 people since June.
In a letter dated last month to Parliament’s petitions committee, McClelland reaffirmed his commitment to a state-based nationally consistent scheme for the registration of committed adult relationships that are not marriages.
The Government does not consider, as the petition suggests, that establishing relationship registers in the States and Territories will compromise the purpose of the Marriage Act, he wrote.
It should be noted that none of the Tasmanian, Victorian or ACT Relationships Acts provide for the parties to have any ceremony or make any public declarations.
He added that all states and territories have laws that recognise same-sex relationships, and the registers merely provided a mechanism for formally recognising those relationships. McClelland wrote to state and territory Attorneys-General last December urging a national approach to the schemes.
Since June this year, 14 batches of the same petition calling for relationship registers to be banned and quoting Bible passages have been tabled in Parliament.
The petitions committee declined to reveal which group was behind the push, but admitted each batch had a different primary petitioner.
Under new petition rules introduced by Labor earlier this year, petitioners to the House of Representatives can remain anonymous and do not need an MP to act as sponsor.
And they call this the Lucky Country?
“14 batches of the same petition calling for relationship registers to be banned and quoting Bible passages have been tabled in Parliament”? Wow! somebody out there sure has an unnatural obsession about what I do with my winky.
Sean, sorry to disappoint you but it’s not over yet- you can only register your relationship if you live in Tasmania, Victoria or the ACT.
None of the other states and territories, including this one, have created registries yet.
Some local councils, like the City of Sydney have created their own in the meantime- but council run ones will obviously be recognised for a smaller range of purposes than state wide ones.
Thank you for allowing us to formally recognise our relationships.
My friend’s relationship was not recognised by his funeral parlour, so he had no say on in his deceased partner’s funeral because the funeral parlour staff did not recognise him as the defacto partner of the deceased.
Now, with registration available, there will be irrefutable proof that two same-sex partners are a couple – and that very sad thing that happened to Michael need not ever happen again.
Can’t wait to register my relationship with my dog/car/spinster brother.
Yay for Robert McClelland!! : )
Thank you so much for sticking up for our rights and ensuring all Australians feel like they can belong in this great country of ours.
Thank you so very much for working towards social inclusion and equality. : )
I feel so much prouder of being an Australian with the Rudd Labor Government in power. I was critical of them when they supported the ban on marriage in 2004 but now they are simply champions!