Thu 30 Sep 2010 In: International News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Julia Gillard Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has already ruled out a conscience vote on same-sex marriage. Marriage equality advocates called for a conscience vote on the Marriage Equality Bill, when the Green Party reintroduced it into Parliament yesterday. National Convener Alex Greenwich said MPs should be free to represent the views of the 60 percent of Australians who support the reform. However Gillard has told ABC Radio, "You should expect to see the Labor Party voting as a political party, voting in unison." Labor and the coalition's official stance on the issue is that marriage can only exist between a man and a woman. Sydney lord mayor and independent NSW MP Clover Moore has already written to Ms Gillard urging her to reconsider. Tasmania Tasmania has become the first Australian state to recognise overseas same-sex marriages. The Tasmanian Upper House has passed a State Government amendment to the Relationships Act allowing couples from interstate and overseas to be automatically recognised as partners in a Tasmanian Deed of Relationship. The amendment, passed without opposition, is the first in Australia to allow recognition of overseas same-sex marriages as official partnerships under state law. Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group spokesperson Rodney Croome has welcomed the move, saying it will provide greater legal security to couples moving to Tasmania. In 2003 Tasmania was the first Australian state to establish a civil partnership scheme. In 2005 it was the first to see the introduction to Parliament of state same-sex marriage laws, although these did not pass. In 2009 the state conference of the Tasmanian Labor Party was the first in Australia to support same-sex marriage.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 30th September 2010 - 12:19pm