Marriage equality advocates have called on supporters to send submissions to the new Senate marriage equality inquiry, and have launched a new webpage to make it easier.
The call comes as the Senate committee conducting the new marriage equality inquiry today officially opened the inquiry to submissions.
The inquiry, into Senator Sarah Hanson-Young’s Recognition of Foreign Marriages Bill 2014, will look at the impact of marriage equality overseas, as well as the benefits of recognising overseas same-sex marriages in Australia.
Australian Marriage Equality national director, Rodney Croome, said,
“We encourage all supporters of marriage equality to send in submissions, particularly same-sex couples married overseas and those Australian expats living in countries with marriage equality.”
“To make it easier for supporters to have their voices heard, we have set up a special webpage with information about the inquiry and the issues it raises, as well as a webform tailored to different aspects of the inquiry.”
When the Australian Marriage Act was amended to preclude same-sex marriages in 2004 a new section prohibiting the recognition of overseas same-sex marriages was also included.
It is understood about a third of the approximately 700 same-sex couples married in New Zealand are Australians.
From June 18th same-sex couples will begin marrying in Australia’s UK consulates.
The inquiry webform can be found here:
www.australianmarriageequality.org/senate-inquiry/
More details about the inquiry can be found here:
The inquiry will look at the benefits of recognising the legal foreign marriages of same-sex couples and the impact of marriage equality in other countries, with particular reference to:
a) the social and economic benefits of recognising foreign same-sex marriages,
b) the social, cultural and economic impact of marriage equality in foreign countries,
c) the impact on religious communities and religious freedoms of marriage equality in foreign countries
For more information contact Rodney Croome on 0409 010 668.
Author: Rodney Croome
Publication: ME Media Release
Date: 20 May 2014