South Australia launches relationships register for LGBTI couples
Image: Adelaide Pride 2015
SOUTH Australian LGBTI couples and those who married overseas will be able to secure legal recognition on a new relationships register from today.
The relationships register allows unmarried couples, whether in heterosexual or other relationships, to register their relationships and receive a certificate of registration. Overseas marriages of LGBTI couples can also be legally recognised.
The register will ensure that people have a clear avenue to have their relationships legally recognised. It will be easier for couples to seek access to entitlements and assert their rights, including in situations of a medical nature.
Premier Jay Weatherill vowed to amend the State’s laws following the death of British tourist David Bulmer-Rizzi in January last year.
David passed away while honeymooning in Adelaide and his marriage to husband Marco Bulmer-Rizzi was not recorded on his death certificate because South Australian law at the time did not recognise their marriage.
The legislation was introduced to state parliament in September last year, and passed in December.
The register is the latest in a series of changes the South Australian government has made to remove discrimination against people on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender.
“From today, loving couples in South Australia can begin the process to register their relationships,” said Premier Jay Weatherill.
“The relationships register allows couples, regardless of their sex, [gender] or intersex status, to register their relationship and have their status as a couple formally and legally recognised.
“It will mean people will have a clear avenue to have their relationship legally recognised, but also will make the process of accessing their entitlements and asserting their rights, including in situations of a medical nature, far simpler.”
Assistant Minister to the Premier, Katrine Hildyard, said, “This register is a huge step forward for equality.
“It means that all loving couples can have their relationship registered and it means that other couples will not experience what Marco Bulmer-Rizzi went through on the tragic death of his husband.
“I am proud of our ongoing commitment to ensure [LGBTI] members of our community are fairly and equally treated under our law and I am proud that our government has responded to the courageous campaigning for equality by [LGBTI] people over many years.”
Anyone who wants more information on the relationships register should call 131 882 or visit the website.
