...working for equal marriage rights for all Australians

25 November 2008

Renewed Call For Same-Sex Marriage
From: The Age

Same-sex couples who love each other should be able to have their relationship recognised by marriage, Australian Greens leader Bob Brown says.

	Senator Bob Brown. Photo: Damien Larkins, ABC news

The openly-gay senator is critical of the Labor government and coalition opposition for not including marriage provisions in legislation abolishing same-sex discrimination in commonwealth law, passed by parliament on Monday night.

Parliament also agreed to extend the meaning of de-facto to include same-sex relationships.

"People who love each other should be able to have a ceremony in the same way as everybody else", Senator Brown said.

"The opinion polls show that most Australians support legislation that's passed in Catholic Spain, it's passed in Canada, and it ought to have been on the agenda last night in parliament," he told ABC Television today.

However, federal Attorney-General Robert McClelland says recognising same-sex marriage is not part of the government's agenda.

Mr McClelland told ABC Television: "It won't be a part of this government's agenda."

Labor party policy is clear, he said. "Marriage is between a man and a woman."