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Gay and lesbian couples will have the same rights as heterosexuals under new Australian laws but marriage will remain off limits, Attorney General Robert McClelland said Wednesday.
McClelland announced that the Labor government would introduce legislation next month to remove same-sex discrimination from some 100 laws, including those related to health and pension entitlements, social security and tax.
The proposed national legislation, which will bring federal laws into line with those in the states and territories, will grant homosexual couples the same rights as heterosexual de facto relationships, McClelland said.
"The changes will provide for equality of treatment in a wide range of areas including superannuation, taxation, social security, workers' compensation, pharmaceutical benefits," McClelland told reporters in Canberra.
"These will make a practical difference to the lives of a group of fellow Australians who, for far too long, have suffered discrimination at a Commonwealth (federal) level."
If passed, the new laws will see gay and lesbian partners treated as couples, rather than as individuals, in assessments of their means and entitlements.
But McClelland said the laws, expected to be in force by mid-2009, did not change the government's opposition to same-sex marriage.
"These reforms won't change the Marriage Act," he said.
"We made it clear before the election that the government regards marriage as being between a man and a woman and we don't support any measures that seek to mimic that process."
Rights groups welcomed the announcement but urged the government to go further and allow same-sex unions such as are available in Britain and Canada.
Spokesman for the Australian Coalition for Equality lobby group Rodney Croome described as "deeply disappointing" the government's unwillingness to allow equality in marriage.
"While removing discrimination is extremely important, it doesn't mean full equality," he told AFP. "That will only be achieved by same-sex marriage."
The minister said the government supported a system of registration of same-sex couples, whereby partners signed a so-called "Deed of Relationship" witnessed by an official and which legally recognised the partnership.
But Croome said such a system, which has been in place in the southern island state of Tasmania for four years, was similar to a civil union.
Asked whether these signings ever included a ceremony similar to a wedding, Croome said: "Of course they do. It's a kind of wedding. It's not marriage, it's a different way of formalising your relationship.
"It seems incompatible to register same-sex de facto partners but not also allow same sex-marriages," he added.
Tensions surrounding the issue are likely to rise soon in the national capital Canberra as the government of the Australian Capital Territory has decided to push ahead with civil union laws.
"We find it very difficult to understand why it's good to remove discrimination in taxation law and superannuation law, but apparently it's not so good to say those relationships can be celebrated equally before the law," the territory's Attorney General Simon Corbell said.
Meanwhile, conservative opposition leader Brendan Nelson said he supported the proposed laws in principle, despite his Liberal Party's steadfast rejection of gay marriage, gay adoption and gay IVF.
But he urged Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to reject civil unions.
"I call on Mr Rudd to be upfront with the Australian people -- will he or will he not support or oppose civil unions?" he said.
- Hmmm...looks like the we did choose wisely on our last election... the Rudd government is slowly giving us the chance to be equal... finally Australia is fair for everyone....100 down..1 to go...not long for the bells and Ave Maria song to be played on our wedding day!
I went out to St Kilda in the arvo..went to Puppy Phat to get his new collar. Bought him a new Chill Pill toy too… I am throwing away his old crusty octopus squeaky. Now.. he is happy. Playing catch with the new pill… :)
