Australian marriage equality advocates have called on Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, to follow Barack Obama’s lead and soften her Government’s opposition to same-sex marriages.
Australian Marriage Equality National Convener, Alex Greenwich, welcomed the decision by President Obama not to defend a US statute which bars the recognition of state same-sex marriages in federal law, saying it puts pressure on Julia Gillard to also move forward on the issue.
“We acknowledge that the Prime Minister wants to have a fully-fledged debate on marriage equality at the ALP National Conference later this year, but there’s several things she can do right now to show she supports equality for all Australians”, Mr Greenwich said.
“These include removing the bureaucratic barriers to gay and lesbian Australians marrying overseas, launching a Law Reform Commission inquiry into the legal aspects of marriage equality, and meeting proponents of reform so we can put our case to her directly.”
In 2009, a tri-partitite Senate inquiry into marriage equality recommended a Law Reform Commission inquiry and an end to the ban on providing gay and lesbian Australians with the documents they need to marry overseas.
Last week, proponents of reform met with Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott.
For more information contact Alex Greenwich on 0421 316 335.