Federal Government Urged to Rule Out Gay Marriage

Added by on February 23, 2011

The federal government was requested to rule out and allow couples in which partners are of the same gender to get married.

The request was made by the Australian Christian Lobby and Guy Barnett, the liberal senator, after the Australian Human Rights Commission made it clear on Tuesday, in front of the Senate, that it supported same-sex marriages.

Catherine Branson, the president of the Australian Human Rights Commission, said that the Marriage Act could be repealed and, thereafter, replaced with another legislation that recognized relationships and that did not discriminate. “We are not, pardon the pun, particularly wedded to the Marriage Act,” she said.

Jim Wallace, the ACL director, has, however, reacted to Ms Branson’s statement, saying that her comments with regard to the issue help perpetuate the gay marriage discrimination myth. Mr Wallace further added that the discrimination mentioned about the commission’s president has been removed in 2008, when couples of the same sex were allowed to the same entitlements as opposite-sex couples.

The ACL director also said that after the changes in 2008, no “rights fundamentalists” have pertinent arguments that support discrimination. Mr Wallace added that the commission should now fight to protect the right of “people of faith”.