Australia: Qantas recognises gay marriage
The Advertiser - 31 May 06
The Advertiser - 31 May 06
A GAY employee has won a long-running dispute with Qantas to recognise his same-sex marriage in Canada.
Qantas had refused to update the staff member's marital status on his employee records because the union was not between a man and a woman.
But the airline backed down after it received an email from former Chief Justice of the Family Court, Alastair Nicholson, endorsing the validity of the marriage.
In March 2005, Qantas wrote to the employee stating: "We are unable to approve your marital status in eQHR (employee records) as married because Australian law does not recognise same-sex marriages."
The employee referred the matter to Mr Nicholson who lent his support in an email that was later forwarded to Qantas.
"There is nothing to stop a private employer permitting your husband to be described as your spouse on its documentation and I can see no legal impediment to it doing so," Mr Nicholson said in the email.
"Indeed it would, in my view, be an appropriate step for it to take."
Five days ago, Qantas executive general manager of people, Kevin Brown, responded to the employee: "Qantas is willing to recognise you ... as married and will record your status as married. Qantas will treat you and your family in the same manner as it treats all married staff."
The employee's records were updated once Qantas sighted his Canadian marriage certificate.
Australian Marriage Equality (AME) congratulated Qantas for changing its policy on gay marriage.
"Many employers already, no doubt, recognise their employee's same-sex marriages", AME national secretary Glenn Limond said.
"But this policy change is worth noting. Qantas is not only a very large employer, with over 30,000 staff, but is also an Australian icon".
.Qantas had refused to update the staff member's marital status on his employee records because the union was not between a man and a woman.
But the airline backed down after it received an email from former Chief Justice of the Family Court, Alastair Nicholson, endorsing the validity of the marriage.
In March 2005, Qantas wrote to the employee stating: "We are unable to approve your marital status in eQHR (employee records) as married because Australian law does not recognise same-sex marriages."
The employee referred the matter to Mr Nicholson who lent his support in an email that was later forwarded to Qantas.
"There is nothing to stop a private employer permitting your husband to be described as your spouse on its documentation and I can see no legal impediment to it doing so," Mr Nicholson said in the email.
"Indeed it would, in my view, be an appropriate step for it to take."
Five days ago, Qantas executive general manager of people, Kevin Brown, responded to the employee: "Qantas is willing to recognise you ... as married and will record your status as married. Qantas will treat you and your family in the same manner as it treats all married staff."
The employee's records were updated once Qantas sighted his Canadian marriage certificate.
Australian Marriage Equality (AME) congratulated Qantas for changing its policy on gay marriage.
"Many employers already, no doubt, recognise their employee's same-sex marriages", AME national secretary Glenn Limond said.
"But this policy change is worth noting. Qantas is not only a very large employer, with over 30,000 staff, but is also an Australian icon".
Gay marriage to be outlawed in Australia
CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australia's conservative government will overrule same sex marriage laws in the nation's capital, Prime Minister John Howard said on Tuesday, saying marriage should only be between men and women.
Howard's move, which mirrors the push by U.S. President George W. Bush to outlaw gay marriage across the United Sates, follows new laws by the self-governing Australian Capital Territory (ACT) to allow same-sex unions.
National laws in Australia say a marriage must be between a man and woman at the exclusion of all others, but the ACT laws would have given gay couples the same legal rights as married couples by describing the marriages as "civil unions".
"Our view is very simple. We are not prepared to accept something which is a plain attempt to equate civil unions with marriage," Howard told reporters.
Bush wants the U.S. Senate to pass a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage after several state courts since 2003 ruled that state legislatures did not have the right to ban it.
Canada became the fourth country to legalise same-sex marriage in mid-2005 but the new conservative government will allow a free vote in parliament to decide whether the laws should be overturned.
Australia's centre-left Labour opposition said Howard was wrong to intervene over laws passed by the democratically elected ACT government, which administers the nation's capital Canberra.
"The law should recognise caring and loving relationships," Labour spokeswoman Nicola Roxon said, adding that gay couples continued to be discriminated against in areas such as pensions, tax and health and welfare benefits.
CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australia's conservative government will overrule same sex marriage laws in the nation's capital, Prime Minister John Howard said on Tuesday, saying marriage should only be between men and women.
Howard's move, which mirrors the push by U.S. President George W. Bush to outlaw gay marriage across the United Sates, follows new laws by the self-governing Australian Capital Territory (ACT) to allow same-sex unions.
National laws in Australia say a marriage must be between a man and woman at the exclusion of all others, but the ACT laws would have given gay couples the same legal rights as married couples by describing the marriages as "civil unions".
"Our view is very simple. We are not prepared to accept something which is a plain attempt to equate civil unions with marriage," Howard told reporters.
Bush wants the U.S. Senate to pass a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage after several state courts since 2003 ruled that state legislatures did not have the right to ban it.
Canada became the fourth country to legalise same-sex marriage in mid-2005 but the new conservative government will allow a free vote in parliament to decide whether the laws should be overturned.
Australia's centre-left Labour opposition said Howard was wrong to intervene over laws passed by the democratically elected ACT government, which administers the nation's capital Canberra.
"The law should recognise caring and loving relationships," Labour spokeswoman Nicola Roxon said, adding that gay couples continued to be discriminated against in areas such as pensions, tax and health and welfare benefits.
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