Justice and Community Safety Legislation Amendment Bill 2016 (No 3)(ACT)
Friday 23 December 2016 @ 9.37 a.m. | Legal Research
The Australian Capital Territory Attorney-General Gordon Ramsay has introduced a bill into Parliament that would allow for the automatic recognition of same sex unions that take place outside of the ACT. The Justice and Community Safety Legislation Amendment Bill 2016 (No 3)was introduced on the 15 December 2016 and will amend the Civil Unions Act 2012 to reflect this change.
Background to the Bill
The current laws in the ACT allow for the automatic recognition of heterosexual unions that take place outside of the ACT. This same recognition does not extend to same-sex couples. Same-sex unions are required to be registered in the ACT upon the couple’s return to Canberra.
The Bill introduced will amend section 27 of the Civil Unions Act 2012 (ACT) to recognise an overseas or interstate relationship not between a man and a woman as a civil union under ACT laws. Mr Ramsay said of the bill:
Other Jurisdictions
Similar laws have been introduced throughout Australia most notably, in Victoria where the Relationships Amendment Act 2016 passed in February 2016. The ACT Bill will mirror the Victorian legislation in directly recognising a corresponding law relationship under the legislation rather than recognition by regulation. A similar Bill has also recently been passed in South Australia and is awaiting assent.
TimeBase is an independent, privately owned Australian legal publisher specialising in the online delivery of accurate, comprehensive and innovative legislation research tools including LawOne and unique Point-in-Time Products.
Sources:
Justice and Community Safety Legislation Amendment Bill 2016 (No 3), Bill and Explanatory Statement as published on LawOne
Same-sex unions to be automatically recognised in ACT under new legislation
