Australia and Gay Marriage

by Michael Jones · 2008-11-26 12:40:00 UTC
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AustraliaAustralian lawmakers have pushed forward a sweeping gay rights bill that will essentially create domestic partner benefits for same-sex couples in the country. The Same-Sex Omnibus Bill passed the Australian Senate, and now moves on to the House of Representatives where it is likely to pass.

So as they say down under, this Omnibus bill is Good Oil.

It doesn't grant marriage rights, unfortunately, so Australian gay couples will still be treated separately than straight counterparts.  Under the previous conservative government, Australia banned gay marriage, and the now ruling Labor Party has indicated virtually no desire to change that law.  The bill also doesn't address discrimination against people based on sexual orientation.  But the bill is a sign of progression and something that the Australian Coalition for Equality has been working on for years.

Historically speaking, this week's session in the Australian Senate was opened by Penny Wong, who is the government's minister for climate change and water. She's also openly gay.  An openly gay cabinet member?  Damn right.

Perhaps President-Elect Barack Obama could get a few ideas from Australia...

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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