The Australian [New South Wales, Australia], Politics News
by Patricia Karvelas [Political correspondent], 21/09/2007
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LIB MPS BACK CALL FOR GAY LAW REFORM The Australian [New South Wales, Australia], Politics News by Patricia Karvelas [Political correspondent], 21/09/2007 |
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HOWARD government MPs have joined Labor and the Democrats to co-author a parliamentary report calling for dramatic law reform to give gay and lesbian people equal rights in all areas, including the adoption of children and formal relationship registration.
A parliamentary inquiry looking into discrimination faced by gays and lesbians has recommended the removal of financial and work-related discrimination against same-sex couples. The report also calls for "greater recognition of relationship registries". Liberal MPs Mal Washer and Warren Entsch gave their full backing to the report. It says a new bill should establish a presumption that state- and territory-registered relationships are recognised for the purposes of federal law. It says "greater clarification should be made regarding parenting presumptions". "The Australian Government should engage with state and territory governments to achieve fairer laws with regard to parenting presumptions and adoptions," it says. |
It recommends that a statutory declaration signed by both people in a couple stating that they regard themselves to be in a de facto relationship should indicate the existence of a relationship.
The only government MP to dissent to the report was Nationals senator Barnaby Joyce, but he has backed the major thrust in relation to equalising property and superannuation rights. "There should be no inhibiting factors in the transfer of an asset from a person to another party what are proven to be an asset of that person. The exception to this could be where the usage of those resources would be for a criminal act," he writes. Senator Joyce told The Australian he had had a change of heart on the issue after being convinced by compelling arguments. "On receival of more information, I have slightly different views to what I originally started with," he said.
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