Civil unions to begin next month
The Queensland Government has announced same-sex couples will be able to enter into civil unions as of next month.
Deputy Premier Andrew Fraser confirmed that Queensland’s Civil Partnership Act would start on February 23, with ceremonies able to begin as soon as March 5, saying the legislation showed Queensland was a modern progressive state.
“I know for many people this day has been a long time coming,” Fraser said in a statement.
“While it isn’t marriage, it is the next big thing and as far as the state government can go in promoting relationship equality.”
The fast-tracking of the legislation seemingly puts an end to a threat by Liberal National Part (LNP) leader Campbell Newman to scrap the reforms if elected.
Newman had stated that if civil unions had already taken place before the state election on March 24 that the LNP would be unlikely to roll them back if they formed government.
“The Liberal National Party didn’t have the courage to put forward their own personal views when debating this legislation,” Fraser said.
鈥淭here are thousands of Queenslanders to whom these laws mean so much. The whole state will hold Mr Newman to account and see if he stands by his word.鈥�
Attorney-General Paul Lucas said the legislation would allow any couple, regardless of sex or sexual orientation, to lodge paperwork for a civil union with Queensland’s Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
Civil union forms are available to be downloaded .
@Cassie
It is not just about ‘marriage’, it’s about legality. How would you feel if you partner was in hospital, and you were not recognized as their next of kin? Or if they passed away, and even though you had spent 10yrs with them, you had no right to inherit anything, because your partnership is not acknowledged.
In the 1980鈥檚, the Far Right Liberal and National Party members advocated we be placed in a special camp in the desert, to be isolated from the community for the rest of our natural life. This perverse madness still plagues these parties, as they cannot even accept Civil Unions. The vote was 47 -40. The Liberal/National Party are fighting for us to have fewer rights then other citizens, simply because of our sexuality. They are a perverse form of Nazi light, and need to change their logo to a cross that is on fire.
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You better be careful SSO or you will howled down by the ‘Marriage’ lemmings! My partner and I have a Domestic Partnership and yes, we would have to ‘update’ if civil unions or marriage occurs in our state/country in the near future, but I think the smart thing to do is take what you can get, when it becomes available. If we don’t, then governments will say no one was interested, so why upgrade to anything else. By the way, I gather there has been a large increase in heterosexual couples in New Zealand getting civil unions. Some people don’t want ‘marriage’ and I think the option of both should be available.
Stop encouraging them to keep trying to get gay marriage legalized. Giving them a legal civil union is just telling them keep trying and we’ll cave in. And qld would do ANYTHING to get more people there. Gay people are supposed to believe that it doesn’t matter if u r married. As long as u love each other.