Canberra Just Lost Those Same-Sex Marriage Laws. This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things.
The High Court has unanimously ruled against the Marriage Equality Act -- which means the dozens of same-sex marriages that were held over the past five days have been invalidated.
The High Court of Australia has unanimously ruled against Australia’s first same-sex marriage law, which will result in the invalidation of the dozens of same-sex marriages that were held over the past five days.
According to Julia Holman, the political reporter for triple j’s Hack, the PDF was accidentally published to the website early, before the courtroom heard the judgement.
At least 27 same-sex couples have married since Saturday, when the ACT’s Marriage Equality Law came into effect. Attorney-General George Brandis had urged the ACT government to wait for the High Court’s outcome before allowing couples to marry.
The ACT believed its laws created a separate status of marriage recognition for same-sex couples, which could legally operate alongside federal laws. The High Court of Australia does not agree. The High Court finding claims that the aim of the Marriage Equality Act was to allow for the marriage of same-sex couples, rather than for “some form of legally recognised relationship which is relevantly different from the relationship of marriage”.
“The Court held that the federal Parliament has power under the Australian Constitution to legislate with respect to same sex marriage, and that under the Constitution and federal law as it now stands, whether same sex marriage should be provided for by law is a matter for the federal Parliament.”
Hear that, federal Parliament? It’s your move now.
Here’s what Tony Abbott’s sister has to say.
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