Lesbians
and gay men have new rights
On 1 June
1999, relationships law reform finally become a reality in NSW when
the Property (Relationships) Legislation Amendment Bill 1999 passed
through the Lower House to become an Act
of Parliament. With it NSW took the biggest step towards equality
for gay men and lesbians for at least 15 years, becoming the first State
in Australia to confer broad recognition on same sex couples, joining
only a mere handful of places in the world, and putting us at the forefront
of the fight for equality.
The Lobby's
1994 discussion paper The
Bride Wore Pink (PDF file, 365kb) kicked all of this off and ultimately
became the blueprint for reform. The Road
to Reform (PDF file, 10kb) since then has been a long one. Those interested
in history should check out these two documents.
The many reasons
why this reform was needed are detailed in the Lobby's
Submission to the Social Issues Committee of the Upper House (PDF file,
85kb) which has been considering relationships reform. This document
was prepared in December 1998 as part of our campaign for recognition.
A brief summary of Supplementary
Submission (PDF file, 47kb) for the Social Issues Committee in July
1999 after the Act passed through Parliament which outlines the issues
which still need to be addressed and the Lobby's position on them.
For
those who would like practical information on the many changes to the
law brought about by this Act, we recommend our fact
sheet on the new rights. More detail is available in our Overview
of the Property (Relationships) Legislation Amendment Act 1999 (PDF
file, <1kb).
Further
information is also available on the Acts of Passion website www.actsofpassion.nsw.gov.au,
a joint project of the Lobby, Inner City Legal Centre, NSW Young Lawyers,
the NSW Attorney General's Department and the AIDS Council of NSW.
Those
who wish to get legal advice on a specific issue related to relationships
will need to make an appointment to see a qualified legal practitioner.
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Get Involved today!
Print out a membership
form and mail it in. You can contact us one of the following
ways:
Phone: (02) 9360 6650 - Fax:
(02) 9331 7963 - PO Box 9, Darlinghurst, NSW, 1300 - Email: info@glrl.org.au
(Contact the webmaster here
> jason@webitwebsites.com)
© Gay
and Lesbian Rights Lobby Inc. (Incorporated in New South Wales)
All rights reserved.
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