23 February 2008
Registrar-General Apologises To
Same-Sex Couple: Current Laws Compromise My Staff
The Queensland Registrar-General for Births,
Deaths and Marriages, David Mackie, has apologised to a same-sex couple for
initially accepting their 'Notice of Intended Marriage' then rejecting it
several days later.
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Elaine Crump and Sharon Dane
Births,
Deaths and Marriages, Brisbane
Photo: Iain Clacher
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The couple, Sharon Dane and Elaine Crump, had
lodged the notice with the Registry Office in Brisbane on 14 February.
A notice must be lodged at least one month and
one day before the date of a wedding and is valid for 18 months from the date of
lodgement.
The counter staff refused to accept the form in
the first place, telling the couple of six years that the Marriage Act
only permitted marriages between a man and a woman.
When the couple complained, they were ushered into a private room where they
met with Development Officer Colin Wood.
"After some back and forth, he agreed there was no reason he couldn't at least
accept the form and for it to go on file", said Ms Dane.
"He notified us that other same-sex couples who wished to do so could now come
in. If the law did change and the form was still current, the couples
could marry immediately and not have to wait another month."
However, the Registrar-General, David Mackie,
returned the notice to the couple earlier this week. In an accompanying letter
dated 19 February, Mackie said the Registry had made a mistake in accepting the
notice but had done so in an attempt to "provide some level of client service".
The Registrar-General subsequently phoned the
couple to apologise in person.
Mackie said that current law puts staff in a
compromising position and that he would be more than happy to accept their
notice and marry the couple at the Brisbane Registry office if the laws changed.
Another Brisbane couple, Una Harkin and
Katherine Eastaughffe, also attempted to lodge a Notice of Intended Marriage
yesterday, before becoming aware of the Registry's most recent change of policy.
This time, however, the couple's notice was rejected outright.
Katherine Eastaughffe said staff and other
Registry clients seemed most supportive of their cause.
“We asked counter staff why the decision to
accept forms had been overturned and he said he thought it was on the basis of
advice from Canberra,” said Ms Eastaughffe.
“Kevin Rudd keeps talking about a fair go for
all Australians but what he really means is a fair go for heterosexual
Australians. We just want to be treated equally and fairly.”
