The Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee has completed its inquiry into the Marriage Equality Amendment Bill 2010, concluding that the Federal Government should legislate in favour of marriage equality.

 

In its final report, the committee backed the move to amend the meaning of marriage to ‘the union of two people, to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life.’

 

The committee, chaired by Labor Senator Trish Crossin, received submissions of support from both spectrums of the political divide.

 

“Marriage is the only form of legally recognised relationship in which the partners are required to explicitly acknowledge that they are mutually committed to each other as faithful life partners. No other legally recognised relationship provides the same public recognition or guarantees of certainty and security. This significant difference points to the one serious remaining inequality. Heterosexual couples have the option of marrying. Homosexual couples do not,” former Liberal Senator Christopher Puplick AM and Mr Larry Galbraith put it in their submission.

 

The committee also concluded that all political parties should allow their federal senators and members a conscience vote on the issue.

 

The results were welcomed by the Greens, with Senator Sarah Hanson-Young describing it as an ‘historic day in the Senate.’

 

“The evidence before the committee was overwhelming - marriage equality's time has come. What needs to happen now is for the Opposition Leader to change his mind on rejecting a conscience vote,” Senator Hanson-Young said.