Families take up fight

The Victorian-based Rainbow Families Council has stepped up its fight for equal recognition in federal law as the August 21 poll approaches.

Rainbow Families Council co-convenor Eilis Hughes told Southern Star rainbow families will join equal marriage campaigners to fight for gay marriage and call for adoption rights for same-sex couples in all Australian states.

“We surveyed our members recently and [same-sex marriage] was close to adoption as a priority for our families,” Hughes said.

“In a practical sense there is no difference in the day-to-day lives … but when it comes to marriage, weddings are a symbol in our society, like it or not, and we’re excluded from that.

“I think that sends a message to children that because their family is excluded from that important societal symbol that their family is somehow not equal with other families.”

While there is currently a Victorian-led national review underway for same-sex adoption laws, Hughes said there’s frustration among families that the process is taking too long.

“I think it’s been far too slow and it’s been one of those things that’s been passed back and forth, as there’s been some blame-shifting from state and federal government,” she said.

“We’re sick of that and we want the action to happen.”

The Council will also push for government administrative processes and services to be more inclusive of diverse families.

Hughes said when recently applying for a passport for her daughter the application form from the Passports Office asked for the names of the ‘mother’ and ‘father’ of the child.

“There’s no way to indicate a different pair of parents and I’m not prepared to fill out a form that says ‘father’ and put my name or my partner’s name on that.

“We just want them to get up to speed and make those changes and make it clear there are different parents.”
Hughes said Passport Office staff told her to scribble out ‘father’ on the form and replace it with the word ‘mother’.

“There’s got to be something more appropriate than scrubbing out ‘father’ and putting our names there.

“I think across all administrative processes [government departments] need to get those things right so our families start becoming visible.”