Source: The Age and The Australian
SAME-SEX Australian couples may be able to have their relationship formally recognised as early as next year, after Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said he would not overrule laws permitting civil unions.
But the privilege could be restricted to couples in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).
The territory's last bid to give same-sex couples similar legal recognition to heterosexual couples was disallowed by the Howard government last year.
The new Prime Minister yesterday promised to give all states and territories autonomy over these matters.
Mr Rudd said it was Labor policy not to interfere with state and territory legislation.
"On these matters, state and territories are answerable to their own jurisdictions," Mr Rudd said. "The question of the legislation of the type which you speak, it's always been our view, as the Labor Party, that that lies properly within the province of the states and that remains our position.
"The ACT Government has indicated it wishes to head in a particular direction and the ACT Government is therefore in a position to be accountable to its citizenry for that."
The ACT has already tried twice to introduce civil partnership laws. But the Howard government used its power over Australian territories to veto or threaten to scrap the legislation.
Yesterday, Mr Rudd indicated he would not do the same. "On these matters, state and territories are answerable to their own jurisdictions," he said.
This is despite Labor telling the Christian lobby before the election it "did not support legislation to recognise same-sex marriage or civil unions".
The Christian lobby argues that Mr Rudd must step in because the ALP (Australian Labour Party) national conference passed a resolution in April supporting only state-based relationship registration.
Australian Christian Lobby spokesman Jim Wallace said the move was a "complete break of faith with the Christian constituency".
Labor's federal platform is to support a nationally consistent system of relationship registers.
Registers are less controversial than civil unions because they don't involve a ceremony, which Christian groups view as being too close to a wedding.
Relationship registers are already in use in Tasmania and are being introduced in Victoria.
Full articles: Rudd refuses to overrule ACT on gay partnership bill - National - theage.com.au
The Australian: Rudd won't block ACT gay unions law
Last modified: 6 Dec 07 09:09