The WA Greens have introduced a same-sex marriage bill to the WA Parliament, on the day that the High Court has quashed the nation’s first gay marriages in Canberra.

The High Court has ruled that the same-sex marriages held over the weekend in Canberra are not valid and that the ACT government, which legalised them, was not in line with Commonwealth law.

The WA legislation, which the Greens say has been designed to comply with Commonwealth laws, has been introduced as a private member’s bill by Upper House MP Lynn MacLaren.

The Greens said the bill had been completely reviewed by a constitutional lawyer to ensure that it will resist legal challenge by the Commonwealth.

Ms MacLaren said she was unfazed by the High Court’s unanimous ruling, and vowed to keep fighting for marriage equality.
“Obviously it is disappointing but it’s not unexpected.

We’re just trying to do the right thing – this is a reform whose time has come,” she said.

Australia witnessed its first same-sex marriages in Canberra at the weekend, with WA Labor MP Stephen Dawson and his partner Dennis Liddelow the first in the country to tie the knot.

But their marriage, and those of others who wed at the weekend, lasted just a few days before being ruled illegal by the High Court.

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Ashleigh Watson and Narell Majic who got married this week comfort each other after the High Court ruling.

ACT Chief Minister Katy Gallagher said on the eve of the ruling that her government would examine the judgment and “see what the next steps are, if there can be any”.

But she insisted that this week’s events have “progressed the national debate on a subject”.

The WA Greens’ gay marriage will struggle to be passed by a parliament in which the Liberal-National government controls both houses.

Labor lower house MP Lisa Baker is also preparing a private members’ bill to introduce same-sex marriage legislation.

Ms Baker said she hoped to get the bill introduced by the second half of next year, and that Labor was waiting on the High Court’s decision to ensure the proposals were “watertight”

She said she was confident the move would be supported by voters, following a 2012 Galaxy poll showing 64 per cent of Australians would support such a law, and a groundswell of support for gay marriage abroad.

Mr Dawson said he would also be supporting the bill when it is introduced.

Meanwhile, members of the three major parties have set up a federal cross-party working group on marriage equality.

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said she, Labor Senator Louise Pratt and Liberal Senator Sue Boyce were joining forces.

“It’s only by working together that we’re going to achieve this essential reform,” Senator Hanson-Young said.

“Equality minded members of the Labor, Liberal and the Greens parties will now have to do everything they possibly can to get marriage equality across the line.”

She called on Prime Minister Tony Abbott to allow his party a conscience vote on marriage equality.

Photo: Alex Ellinghausen
Author: Michael Hopkin with Stephanie Anderson
Publication: WAtoday.com.au
Date: 12 December 2013
Original article here