The proposal by Warren Entsch and Joel Fitzgibbon to pre-empt the marriage equality debate with a national civil union scheme has nothing to do with benefitting the gay community and everything to do with politics.
In terms of the aspiration of same-sex couples for equality, the plan makes no sense at all.
It’s unnecessary because over 80% of Australians already have access to civil unions at a state and territory level.
If same-sex couples believed these provided equality they would flock to them in droves, but the fact is only a tiny proportion of same-sex partners have signed up.
Of those same-sex partners who have “civilly unionised” in Australia, 78% say they would prefer to be married according to a national University of Queensland study.
At the same time, the numbers of same-sex couples entering state and territory civil unions seems to be in decline.
John Kloprogge is a board member of Australian Marriage Equality.