Following the success of the ACT’s same-sex marriage bill yesterday, lawmakers in New South Wales are also taking a shot.

The NSW Cross Party Marriage Equality Working Group consisting of Liberal, National, Greens, Labor and Independent Members have announced plans to introduce legislation into the NSW Legislative Council next week that seeks to allow same-sex couples to marry in NSW.

The Bill’s introduction follows a process of detailed community and legal consultation, including a NSW Parliamentary Inquiry that found that “the State of New South Wales has the constitutional power to legislate on the subject of marriage.”

This opinion has been verified by esteemed Constitutional Lawyer Bret Walker SC, who says “we consider that the NSW Bill seeks to create and regulate a new status called ‘same-sex marriage,’ not the existing status of marriage, Accordingly… in our view, an act of the Form of the NSW Bill would not be inconsistent with the Marriage Act 1961.”

“It’s clear the community is in favour of passing same sex marriage. We hope our fellow Parliamentarians are getting the message.”

The NSW Same-Sex Marriage Bill will be introduced by Labor MLC The Hon. Penny Sharpe on behalf of the cross-party group on Thursday 31 October.

“The community and parliament can be confident we have done our due diligence to ensure we have the strongest bill possible; one that will allow loving and committed same-sex couples to marry in NSW and one that will withstand any high court challenge,” says Sharpe.

The other members of the working group include Greens MLC Mehreen Faruqi, National MLC The Hon. Trevor Khan, Member for Coogee Bruce Notley-Smith, and Independent Member for Sydney Alex Greenwich.

“Building on the momentum of the marriage equality campaign and the support for reform demonstrated in recent parliamentary inquiry, it is clear that the community is in favour of passing same sex marriage,” says Faruqi.

“We hope that our fellow Parliamentarians are getting the message.”

Find out more about the campaign for same-sex marriage in New South Wales here on the NSW Marriage Equality website.

The announcement of a NSW same-sex marriage bill comes as the state parliament celebrates 25 years of the NSW Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby tonight. See details here

Author: SSHQ
Publication: SameSame
Date: 23 October 2013
See more at the SameSame web site here