|
 Australian Territory Passes Scaled Down Civil
Unions Bill
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: May 9, 2008 - 1:00 am ET
(Canberra) The Australian Capital Territory has
passed legislation creating civil unions for gay and lesbian couples, but
without a provision that would allow for couples to have ceremonies after the
federal government it would veto the bill if the section remained in the
legislation.
The federal government of Prime Minister Kevin
Rudd said that the ACT bill would contravene a federal law limiting marriage to
opposite sex couples. The law was enacted by the former Liberal government of
John Howard and Labor's Rudd has refused to consider repeal.
The territorial government maintained that
ceremonies were a matter of equality, but faced with a veto last week pulled the
bill and removed the clause.
The amended version, which was worked out with
the federal government passed the territorial legislature on Friday.
A similar bill passed in 2006 but was overturned
by Howard.
The Civil Partnerships legislation will give
same-sex couples most of the rights married couples have under territorial law,
but would not include federal marriage rights.
Last month, despite its objections to the
territorial civil union bill, Rudd's federal government announced plans amending
about 100 federal laws to provide limited benefits to same-sex couples.
The amendments mainly involve pension laws which
will be amended to recognize same-sex partners in much the same way as the
partners in an opposite-sex marriage.
The changes also will guarantee partners the
right to visit each other in hospital and make medical decisions. The revised
laws will also recognize gay couples at senior citizen and nursing homes.
Federal Attorney-General, Robert McClelland said
the government expects the revisions to be completed by mid 2009.
A third of Australia's eight states and territories
have varying laws providing some benefits to same-sex couples but the ACT
law is considered the strongest.
Among Australia's population of 21 million people, more than 40,000
are in same-sex relationships, a government report found last year.
©365Gay.com 2008
|
Entertainment
