The Government has backtracked on its promise to make recognition of gay and lesbian relationships a party vote. The Relationships Bill, which ties up over one hundred pieces of legislation that discriminate against gays and lesbians – including the important next-of-kin issue – was to have been a government bill, but is now a conscience vote, making it vulnerable to moral right lobbying. The backtrack comes on the heels of accusations from United Future leader Peter Dunne that Labour's caucus is deeply divided over the issue. The office of Associate Justice Minister David Benson-Pope was approached for comment this morning as to why the government had backtracked, and as of 6 o'clock this evening there had been no response.
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Wednesday, 16th June 2004 - 12:00pm