Page 5734 - Week 15 - Thursday, 10 December 2009
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
I stand here today representing a party that is deeply reluctant to support this bill here in the chamber but a party that recognises that ultimately we have been elected to this place to represent the rights of Canberrans and that in doing so we must support this bill. We must support this bill because we cannot risk that an ALP federal government, the Rudd government, will intervene and overturn our current laws that give civil ceremonies to same-sex couples in the ACT.
Those laws, enacted on 11 November 2009, have already been utilised by a number of ACT couples to create their civil partnerships through a legally binding ceremony in front of their families and friends. I would like to acknowledge here that it is not the only option for same-sex couples, nor is it necessarily a superior or better option. Couples creating formal partnerships have done this through the registry process, have added their own ceremonies or have, like many heterosexual couples, chosen de facto relationships or to not formalise their relationships at all.
But what this speaks to is choice. Heterosexual couples have a range of choices available to them in regard to their relationships. Up until now, same-sex couples have not had those same choices. The ACT Greens bill that was passed a few weeks ago added the choice for same-sex couples to create their relationships with a legally binding ceremony. I do not seek to validate those relationships created through this process any more than those that are not, but it is clear that this is a choice that same-sex couples deserve and have a right to, and to some of whom it is important.
The past few weeks have reinforced the value and meaning that a ceremony can bring to the creation of a relationship for some couples. Of course, we must again acknowledge that same-sex couples still do not have a choice of getting married under the federal Marriage Act and that, until that changes, we will not be able to stop this campaign for equality and respect and campaign against discrimination.
I had the very great honour on 25 November of this year of attending the civil partnership ceremony of Chris Rumble and Warren McGaw at Old Parliament House. It was clearly an honour to witness the very personal commitment between two people who so very clearly love each other very much, and it was an honour to witness the very first civil partnership in Australia that was created through a legally binding ceremony. Chris and Warren, I know, were very proud to be part of that first as well. I think that many people who witnessed that ceremony were feeling proud that this was happening in the ACT, a jurisdiction known for its strong advocacy on this issue.
It also became very clear to me in witnessing this ceremony that it would be a very mean government that moved to remove this right from same-sex couples in the ACT. This act of relationship creation through ceremony is very important to couples. This is one of the issues that we have had to give great consideration to over the last couple of weeks as we contemplated these changes put forward by the government that we are debating today.
So to Mr Rudd’s federal Labor government: how have they behaved? I believe they have behaved poorly. I believe that they have not shown respect to the people of the ACT and I believe they have abused their power in this process of negotiation of law making in the ACT. Why do I make such a strong statement? Firstly, the federal
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video