Tasmania’s Lower House of Parliament has approved laws recognising same-sex marriages and civil unions registered in other states or countries.

Only three of the 25 Members of the House of Assembly voted against the amendment to the Relationships Act; Liberal members Rene Hidding, Michael Ferguson and Jacqui Petrusma.

Attorney-General Lara Giddings says the changes will remove discrimination for same-sex couples in registered relationships.

“This is really a small step, but a significant and important step for those people who have registered or been through a civil union process elsewhere around the world and want us to recognise that relationship as indeed being in existence,” she said.

Gay rights campaigner Rodney Croome has welcomed the bill and says he hopes it puts same-sex marriage back on the agenda.

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What Rodney Croome says:

TASMANIAN GAY AND LESBIAN RIGHTS GROUP

Media Release
Tuesday August 31st 2010

TAS MOVE TO RECOGNISE INTERSTATE AND OVERSEAS UNIONS WELCOMED
RECOGNITION OF OVERSEAS SAME-SEX MARRIAGES AS TAS CIVIL PARTNERSHIPS “SENSIBLE AND HUMANE”

Tasmanian gay activists have welcomed the passage of legislation through the State Lower House which will allow couples in interstate or overseas unions to be automatically recognised under Tasmanian law without the need to re-register their relationship.

Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group spokesperson, Rodney Croome, said couples in Tasmanian Deeds of Relationship (a form of civil partnership) are already recognised in other states and in some countries overseas, and reciprocal recognition of couples will bring important benefits to couples travelling in, or relocating to, Tasmania.

“Couples in Tasmanian Deeds of Relationship have benefitted in a range of areas from being recognised in places like the UK and New Zealand, and couples coming to Tasmania will benefit in similar ways when their unions are recognised here”, Mr Croome said.

“For example, if a same-sex couple in an interstate or overseas union is travelling in Tasmania and one partner is taken ill, the other can rest assure they will automatically be considered next-of-kin.”

“A couple in an existing union relocating to Tasmania can also rest assured their relationship will be respected without the need for a long and costly re-registration process.”

State Liberal, Michael Ferguson, proposed an amendment banning the recognition of overseas same-sex marriages as Tasmanian Deeds of Relationship, effectively limiting such recognition to overseas civil partnerships.

Mr Croome labelled the amendment, which was voted down, as “extreme”, “inconsistent”, and “out-of-step” with community attitudes

“Overseas same-sex marriages are already recognised in Australia by Federal Government agencies like the Bureau of Statistics and the Department of Immigration, and by numerous large corporations from Telstra, through QANTAS to the Commonwealth Bank, so it extreme and inconsistent to say they should not be recognised as Deeds of Relationship in Tasmania.”

“It would also be inconsistent and overly-harsh to recognise couples who made civil unions vows in Auckland or London, but then to tell same-sex couples married in, say, Vancouver or Madrid, that their solemn vows mean nothing in Tasmanian law.”

“To recognise overseas same-sex marriages as marriages would clearly be unconstitutional because it is prohibited by the federal Marriage Act, but to recognise them as state Deeds of Relationships is simply the sensible and humane thing to do.”

“Polls show most Australians believe same-sex marriages from overseas should be recognised in Australia so Mr Ferguson’s amendment is quite out of step.”

The recognition of interstate and overseas unions was overwhelmingly supported 21 votes to 3. The amendment to prohibit the recognition of overseas same-sex marriages was voted down by the same margin.