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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 08 Hansard (Wednesday, 4 August 2004) . . Page.. 3469 ..

represented Mr Latham, and she made her position and her party’s position quite clear. She said Labor is opposed to recognising gay marriages, including those contracted overseas. I was wondering if this is the same Labor Party to which Jon Stanhope belongs.

Marriage

MS DUNDAS (5.55): I believe the statement Mrs Dunne just made needs to be clarified. It was the Liberal government, at this stage in the electoral cycle, that opened up the debate in relation to marriage and who is legally entitled to undertake that act. That is why it went to a Senate inquiry. It was not something that magically found itself in the Senate in the inquiry stage; it was the federal Liberal government deliberately stirring up this debate in quite a disingenuous way at this stage in the electoral cycle.

It smacked of political opportunism and showed a high disregard for the diversity of relationships, the diversity of people currently living in Australia who are all trying to get on with their lives and see no reason why their relationships or their lifestyle is being deemed inappropriate or out of step by a government or by a parliament that is meant to be protecting all Australians. I am outraged by moves by the federal Liberal and Labor parties to say that some members of this community should not have access to the same rights as other members of this community. That is what is going on here.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

The Assembly adjourned at 5.57 pm.

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