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The Democrats believe people in same sex relationships should not be discriminated against because of their sexual preference.
In 2003, the Democrats re-introduced the Sexuality and Gender Identity Discrimination Bill, which attempted to give members of the GLBTI community equal access to, for example, superannuation benefits, income support and public service entitlements. Unfortunately the bill was unsuccessful.
The Rudd Government has recently implemented some reforms in this area which you can read about here. While we welcome these improvements, it is not equality.
Senator Stott Despoja drafted a Private Member’s Bill, the Same Sex Marriages Bill 2006, which was introduced into Federal Parliament in June 2006. The bill aimed to reverse the changes that were made in the Marriage Amendment Act 2004, which redefined marriage as a union entered into by one man and one woman only. This effectively stopped the ability of the courts to recognise marriages between two people of the same sex, particularly in cases where a legalised marriage had taken place in another country. The bill called for the use of gender neutral language in the Marriage
Act, and include a “to avoid doubt” clause, stating that nothing in the
Act should be interpreted as preventing same sex marriages.
Legalising same sex marriages at a Federal level and removing this form of discrimination against people in same sex relationships will give them the same status and recognition of people in heterosexual marriages or defacto relationships.
The Greens bill currently before Federal Parliament is very similar to what was introduced by the Democrats in 2006. The Senate is holiding an inquiry in to the Marriage Equality Amendment Bill. Get more information about the inquiry from the Senate website. Equal Love is also allowing people to submit messages through them to the inquiry which you can do here.
While we hope that the bill we be successful, if it is not, the Democrats will continue to introduce such legislation and lobby hard for gay couples to be given the right to marry.
The Democrats plan to continue to fight this discrimination. The right to marry and recognition of same sex civil unions at a federal level will be an important first step in eradicating intolerance towards people in same sex partnerships, however, more work will still need to be done to allow same sex couples to adopt children in every state and from overseas, have equal access to IVF treatment and make decisions about their partner’s estate if they die without a will.
Download the Same-Sex Marriages Bill 2006 [pdf] | 
