The federal government of Australia is to bring forward legislation that will ensure that foreign children adopted by a same-sex couples will not be recognised as having two parents.
An amendment the Family Law Act will bar any legal recognition in Australia of adoptions by same-sex couples which have taken place in other countries.
Senator Andrew Bartlett and gay activist Rodney Croome drew attention to the proposed new law on their blogs.
Senator Bartlett, leader of the Australian Democrats since 2002, said:
“To use children and their relationship with their adopted parents as political pawns in an election year is setting a new low.
“After all, it won’t even prevent an adoption, it will just leave children who have been adopted with reduced legal and social recognition and protection, and a less stable family environment.”
The Senate is about to start a new session, and the government have proposed the Family Law (Same Sex Adoption) Bill.
The brief explanation for the Bill’s purpose is:
“To amend the Family Law Act 1975 to indicate that adoptions by same sex couples of children from overseas under either bilateral or multilateral arrangements will not be recognised in Australia.”
It is the latest attempt by the federal government of John Howard to restrict the rights of gay and lesbian couples.
Written by TechStickle on February 5th, 2007 with no comments.
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Entsch demands legal rights for gay couples
Samantha Maiden, Political correspondent
August 14, 2006
QUEENSLAND Liberal backbencher Warren Entsch is set to reignite the debate over legal discrimination against gays and lesbians after finalising draft legislation to deliver equality to same-sex couples.
Challenging John Howard to remove all forms of legal discrimination over welfare, superannuation and Medicare, Mr Entsch confirmed yesterday he would consult Coalition MPs this week over his private member’s bill.
A former crocodile farmer, Mr Entsch remains an unlikely warrior for gay rights, but has secured the support of MPs on both sides of politics including rebel Liberal backbenchers Petro Georgiou and Judi Moylan.
He said yesterday a “Russian bride” procured over the internet would have more rights to welfare and superannuation than a long-term gay partner.
“At this point I am wanting to remove all legal discriminations,” he said yesterday.
“For example, if I am a veteran and come back from Iraq or Afghanistan and am suffering from a range of battlefield-related disorders, my wife is entitled to a pension. If I decided I wanted to invest in a wife from Russia, she would be entitled to my pension. However, if I had a homosexual partner for 15 years, I would come back having served with distinction and when I did he wouldn’t be entitled to a cracker.”
Mr Entsch said gay couples encountered discrimination over eligibility for the Medicare safety net, superannuation and welfare.
“But this is not about looking for extra financial benefits for same-sex couples,” he said. “If you go to Centrelink in a same-sex relationship they will only pay you as a single. In that respect, those in same-sex relationships are worse off.”
Mr Entsch has written to all federal MPs saying he was “alarmed to discover the extent of the discrimination that exists in federal government legislation”.
His campaign for an end to legal discrimination against gays and lesbians has secured the support of Treasurer Peter Costello, who remains an opponent of gay marriage.
The Prime Minister confirmed the Government’s decision in June to overrule the ACT’s civil unions for same-sex couples, but said he would support moves to remove legal discrimination.
In Perth, gay and lesbian protesters yesterday urged Mr Howard to remove discrimination against same-sex couples.
Written by TechStickle on August 14th, 2006 with no comments.
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Oz govt proposes to ban gay adoptions
The conservative government of Australian Prime Minister John Howard is set to introduce a bill to ban the recognition of overseas adoptions for same-sex couples. The timing of the bill’s introduction looks set to coincide with next year’s federal election, leading one gay activist to claim that the government is throwing “another bone� to the “religious right� in order to stay in power by rallying the conservative vote.
A parliamentary staffer leaked the reintroduction of the adoption ban to Tasmanian gay activist Rodney Croome. The ban was originally proposed as part of the government’s 2004 ban on same-sex marriage, but subsequently scrapped, in order to garner cross-party support. The opposition Labor Party supported the ban on same-sex marriage, ensuring its passage.
Croome said it was no surprise the adoption ban was back on the agenda a year out from the federal election. “The government needs another bone to throw to the religious right,� he said.
Labor is yet to from a position on the proposed legislation. A spokesperson for shadow attorney general Nicola Roxon, noted, “adoptions are regulated by state, not federal law. Labor would certainly need to see why the federal government thinks it should pass laws in this area.�
Currently, only Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory allow adoptions by same-sex couples, although New South Wales is reviewing its adoption laws, and may follow suit.
Federal attorney general, Philip Ruddock, in 2004, explained the government’s position on their intent to not recognise overseas adoptions by same-sex couples. “The government does not wish to leave itself exposed to a situation where a state or territory, for the purposes of making a political point domestically, would seek to prioritise same-sex couples ahead of heterosexual couples for the purposes of overseas adoption,� he said.
“We don’t believe that would be in Australia’s best interests or the best interests of the child,� he said, adding that children are best cared for by both a mother and a father.
NSW Gay and Lesbian Rights co-convenor David Scamell, said gay and lesbian couples continue to adopt regardless of the law, by one partner claiming to be single. In that way, only one partner is legally recognised as the adopted child’s parent.
Meanwhile, thousands of gay and lesbian protesters took to the streets of capital cities throughout Australia on the weekend, demanding the repeal of the 2004 law defining marriage as between a man and a woman.
Written by TechStickle on August 14th, 2006 with 1 comment.
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