Federales to strike down ACT's Civil union legislation

biogaz, the reason same sex couples can’t claim de facto status is that because while some laws recognise de facto relationships, de facto relationships don’t recognise same sex couples. This is generally the case in terms of Commonwealth laws because the ACT Government has cleaned up most of its laws to recognise ‘domestic partnerships’ which can be hetero or same sex relationships. The problem with domestic partnerships is that if anybody ever questioned the validity of the partnership (like the parents of a deceased partner who wanted to claim the estate), the partnership would have to be proved in a court based on whether the couple lived together, were financially co-dependent, had an emotional relationship etc. Apart from the fact that heterosexual couples don’t need to rely on court decisions to prove their relationship, the definition of domestic partnership may become problematic if one partner spent most of their time living on an oil rig, or commuting to a mine, or for whatever other reason did not cohabitate with the other partner. By entering into a Civil Union, there is no doubt that there is a partnership because the CU forms the partnership – something heterosexual people can do through marriage (although heterosexual couples can also enter into a Civil Union).

Someone explain how this is important when held up against the closure of schools, vast increases in the cost of living and the redundancy of 500 ACT public servants?

Like the dragway – this should be shitcanned because we have more pressing priorities. I am pro-gay marriage (even when they aren’t both hot chicks), as far as I’m concerned they’r entitled to the same rights I share with my wife. I don’t want to see an sixty-something dollar an hour MLA waste another taxpaying dollar or taxpayer funded minute on this, the dragway, the arboretum or the fucking centenary celebration until they can work on rectifying the shit state of affairs they have left us in.

I may be being ignorant hre, but why dont same sex couples simply live together and claim defacto status?

The rest of us who dont subscribe to the idea of a Christian ‘marriage’ have to take this route and it seems to work fine.

You’re a little tardy this time, VY.

I only believe in gay marriage when both chicks are hot.

Nyssa, I think you’ll find that the Feds have also intervened in NT Govt politics as well when the Euthanasia debate was at it’s peak.

How much time and money did Stanhope and Co waste on this whole bloody stupid PC exercise? Living beyond our means, eh, Mr Sonic??????

That may well be the case, but I don’t see JH sticking his nose into any other state or territories business.

Nyssa, in turns of the politics you can bet the Government has researched it within an inch of its life, and knows there’s a clear electoral advantage in beating up on anything that smacks of gay marriage.

Kim Beazley’s deathly silence on the matter shows you that the ALP’s got the same research.

Given that Johnny H has snubbed the ACT people and cost the tax payers a fortune in keeping two houses he can go and get stuffed.

He cares nothing for the ACT and knows nothing about it’s constituents. Not all of us are pollies.

If partnered same sex couples want to be recognised as equally as a married couple then more power to them.

He’s (JH) just a little boy trying to play an adult.

This is not a Federal issue. If the Feds thought they had the power they would pass a law preventing any State or Territory from giving gays and lesbians the right to enter a civil union, but they don’t. Instead, like the bully boys they are, they use section 35 to do over the ACT and impose their own prejudices. They should either repeal self-government or butt out. Don’t they have anything better to do.