-˜Time for equality for couples and their children’

The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission has called on the government to recognise same-sex couples and parents.

The Same Sex: Same Entitlements report tabled by Attorney-General Philip Ruddock today found that 58 federal laws breached the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The inquiry also found many of those laws also breached the Convention on the Rights of the Child for children of same-sex couples.

It recommended that each of those laws be amended to ensure that all couples receive the same entitlements, and to recognise the relationship between a child and both same-sex parents.

As one man told us during our Inquiry – same-sex couples are first class tax-payers but second class citizens – and we have certainly found this to be true, Human Rights Commissioner Graeme Innes said.

Innes’s report has suggested the government create a new definition of de facto relationship that would include same-sex couples living together on a genuinely domestic basis.

He was not satisfied by the Government’s preferred -˜interdependency’ definition, which includes same-sex couples.

Some of the recommendations to protect children of same-sex parents from discrimination would require cooperation from states and territories.

Also the report recommended anti-discrimination employment protection on the grounds of sexual orientation, in line with the Sex, Race, Disability and Age Discrimination Acts.

John Howard has refused to commit to the recommendations, but said he would examine the report.

We certainly aren’t a government that supports discrimination, he told Sky News.

Australian Coalition for Equality spokesman Brian Greig said same-sex partners who are committed to each other deserved political leaders committed to them.

Fair-minded Australians want a clear commitment from both major parties to a timetable for implementing HREOC’s blueprint for reform, the former senator said.

Equality delayed is equality denied.

Earlier today: 71% of Australians in favour of same-sex equality