Australian Senator to introduce bill for same-sex marriage

June 16, 2006

The Australian Democrats deputy leader, Senator Andrew Bartlett moved in the Australian Senate a bill to amend the Marriage Act to provide for same-sex marriages.

Senator Bartlett's second reading speech which was incorporated into the Hansard described that the bill "reverses the Marriage Amendment Act 2004...which...changed the definition to that of a union between one man and one woman only", and refuted arguments against same-sex marriage proposed by some conservative Government senators. Bartlett continued to say that "We do not want to send the message that discrimination is acceptable in Australia" to our children, or to other nations."

The federal Government is opposed to civil unions. In an interview on June 8, Prime Minister John Howard said, "I don’t see it in any way as discriminating against homosexuals, it’s not, it’s designed to preserve the special status of marriage in our community and that’s what it’s all about."

Debate on the bill will occur at a later date. A bill proposed later in the sitting day by the Australian Greens to stop the Governor-General disallowing ACT state law establishing civil unions failed, by a majority of two votes.