For the first time, the Australian Census will count same-sex couples who are married. Australian Marriage Equality lobbied for the new Census rules and is urging gay couples to take advantage of the fact they can now indicate they are married on Census night, which is 9 August. AME spokesman Peter Furness says it's an important sign of respect that the Australian Bureau of Statistics will allow same-sex partners to indicate if they are married on the Census. "It also highlights how nonsensical the Federal Government's failure to recognise same-sex marriage has become," he says. "We urge all same-sex partners who want to indicate they are married to take advantage of the fact that now they can." The number of same-sex marriages recorded in the Census will be made public in July next year. "The ABS will provide the Government with a baseline figure for the number of couples they are discriminating against on July 12th 2012, which is expected to be a key time in the marriage equality debate," Furness says. He adds many Australian same-sex partners have travelled overseas to marry in countries where it is allowed only to find their legal marriage is not recognised in Australia.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Saturday, 30th July 2011 - 1:03pm