THE GREENS

 

The following response has been received from The Greens.

 

AUSTRALIAN MARRIAGE EQUALITY
PARTY SURVEY FOR THE 2010 FEDERAL ELECTION

Does your party support an amendment to the Marriage Act to allow same sex couples to marry?

Yes – the Greens are the only party committed to marriage equality. In February, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young’s Marriage Equality (Amendment) Bill was debated and voted on in the Senate. The Bill would have removed discrimination against same-sex couples under the Marriage Act. This was a historic step and the first time such a Bill to amend the Marriage Act was voted on in the Senate. Unfortunately it was not supported by the old parties. Senator Hanson-Young also moved several motions in the Senate in support of marriage equality and the Greens have been actively involved in the community campaign on this issue.

 

If so, what will your party do in the next term of government to ensure this reform occurs?

Senator Hanson-Young will move to reintroduce the legislation after the election in the new parliament. The Greens will continue to lobby the old parties to provide marriage equality for all Australians.

 

If not, what are your specific reasons for denying same-sex partners full legal equality?

 

In 2009 the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee inquiry into marriage equality made the following two recommendation. Does your party support the implementation of these recommendations in the next term of government?

The committee recommends that the Government review (by reference to the Australian Law Reform Commission, or some other appropriate mechanism) relationship recognition arrangements with the aim of developing a nationally consistent framework to provide official recognition for same sex couples and equal rights under federal and state laws.

The committee recommends that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade issue Certificates of Non-Impediment to couples of the same sex on the same basis as they are issued for couples of different sexes.

Yes, we do support these recommendations however the Greens do not believe civil unions or another legal mechanism are a substitute for marriage.

We remain deeply concerned at the decision to deny same-sex couples certificates of non-impediment. It is appalling that the government can not only deny their own citizens the right to marry in Australia, but also deny them this right overseas.

 

What else would you like to add?

The Greens are rock-solid in our commitment to Marriage Equality for same sex-couples and will continue to promote this, in the next term of Parliament. We do not regard civil unions as being a substitute for marriage.