File photo The Queensland opposition is urging the state's Premier Campbell Newman to give his MPs a conscience vote on plans to deny same-sex couples surrogacy rights. Opposition leader Annastacia Palaszczuk says the state government's "being mean" by winding back gay couples' rights to have surrogate children. She says the law was bringing Queensland in line with other states and Liberal MPs should be given a conscience vote. Queensland's Attorney-General has flagged a repeal of parts of the former Labor government's Surrogacy Act, as the state government has rushed through a watering down of Labor's same-sex civil unions laws, renaming them as 'registered relationships'. Australian Marriage Equality says the latter move shows why only marriage equality can deliver full equality for same-sex couples. "The problem with civil unions is that they can be tampered with and watered down, as is currently occurring in Queensland, but marriage will always provide full and unequivocal recognition," spokesman Alex Greenwich says.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 22nd June 2012 - 10:54am