Australia Needs to Stop to Block Overseas Gay Marriages

July 23, 2011

Australia Needs to Stop to Block Overseas Gay Marriages

Australia is continuing to prevent its citizens from entering into a same-sex marriage abroad, the group Australian Marriage Equality said July 8.

Specifically, Australia refuses to issue a "certificate of non-impediment to marriage" to any same-sex couple. The document is needed abroad to prove that the individuals are not already married in Australia.

AME said Prime Minister Julia Gillard defended the policy as recently as June 14.

AME National Convener Alex Greenwich called it "petty and mean-spirited."

"The Gillard government's policy of not allowing same-sex marriages in Australia forces same-sex couples to go overseas if they want to marry, but when they apply to marry in another country Julia Gillard is there saying 'no' as well," Greenwich said.

"This means some couples miss out on entitlements and protections they can only receive overseas if they are married in a country that would otherwise recognize their commitment, and it causes endless hassles for couples who have planned their wedding only to find it can't go ahead," he said