Only marriages between men and women will be recognised in Australia under draft legislation that has the support of both the ruling Liberal-National coalition and the opposition Labour Party.
”The proposal would simply be to insert a definition in the Marriage Act which gives formal expression to what most people regard to be the case — which is that marriage, as we understand it in Australia, is between a man and a woman,” Prime Minister John Howard said on Tuesday.
”This is not directed at gay people; it’s directed at reaffirming a bedrock understanding of our society.”
The amendment will head off any attempt by homosexual couples who married abroad to have their unions recognised in Australia.
Gay marriage is legal in Canada, Belgium and The Netherlands.
The draft legislation, which mirrors that proposed by United States President George Bush, was immediately labelled reactionary and divisive by homosexual rights groups.
High-profile lesbian Kerryn Phelps, a former president of the Australian Medical Association, described the likely changes as ”a form of apartheid” and a blatant bid to marginalise a minority group.
”Blacks and coloureds were not allowed to marry whites under apartheid in South Africa — this is no different,” Phelps said.
Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby spokesperson Rob McGrory accused the prime minister of populism ahead of a general election expected in November.
”The prime minister’s trying to get elected by using homophobia as a tactic, by creating fear and division in the community,” McGrory said.
Greens leader Bob Brown, an openly gay MP, said Labour leader Mark Latham had shown a lack of leadership by not pledging to vote down the amendment.
”You can see that Labour’s going to take the old-fashioned high ground and side with John Howard because it’s safe,” Brown said. — Sapa-DPA