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7 June 2007 - Time is now for same-sex equality |
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The Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby (NSW) has joined with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights groups across the country to urge the government to implement the recommendations from the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission’s final report into discrimination against same-sex couples, Same-Sex: Same Entitlements.
The HREOC report found around 60 pieces of legislation discriminated against same-sex couples, leaving a significant financial burden on gay and lesbian Australians and their families in areas of superannuation, Medicare, taxation, immigration and family law among others. The laws were found to be in breach of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Convention on the Rights of the Child. The commission also criticised recent moves by the government to introduce an “interdependent” category in superannuation laws as insufficient to address inequality against same-sex couples. Interdependency requires a higher burden on the couple to prove their relationship. The commission called for a comprehensive bill to immediately redress all discrimination. “The Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby is here for full equality. We call on the government to comprehensively implement an inclusive definition of de facto that includes same-sex relationships and families as a first step towards full equality for all Australians,” said Ghassan Kassisieh, Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby spokesperson. The Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby has been discussing many all the themes raised by the report recommendations for over a decade. “We have said interdependency is not adequate, de facto is the first important step towards equality. De facto is an absolute minimum”, Kassisied added. The HREOC report comes after a Galaxy Poll, commissioned by community organisation Get Up!, which found that 71% of Australians support equal rights for same-sex couples – on par with heterosexual de facto couples. Further, 57% of Australians believe that the government should go beyond the HREOC report by allowing same-sex marriage.
“On this issue, the government is out of touch with the majority of Australians. Australian in 2007 is proving itself to be an accepting and mature society. It’s time for the government to reflect the sentiment of its citizens. We call on the major parties to tell us when the recommendations of the HREOC report will be on our nation’s law books.”
The Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby completed a comprehensive consultation with 1,300 people in the NSW gay and lesbian community which found that legal rights and equality were the most important reason for why they want relationship recognition.
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