Today is the last day for Senate submissions

Today is the last day for Senate submissions

Today is the last day to make submissions to the Senate about whether or not you want same sex marriage. If you are in favour of same sex marriage, make sure your voice is heard. Now is the time to speak up. The bills propose to remove discrimination in the Marriage Act, so as to allow gays and lesbians to marry. If enacted, Australia will be following the lead of other countries or states, such as South Africa, Canada, Spain and Portugal. (For the full guide, check out the ILGA website, and scroll down on the map, by clicking on the arrow at the top right of the map).

I will be sending my own submission, which will be also posted on this blog.

The easiest way of letting the Senate committee hear your voice is through Australians for Marriage Equality, where there is a dedicated web form allowing an email to be sent direct to the Committee.

The House of Representatives is also holding an inquiry. The closing date for those submissions is 20 April. 

Things to Read, Watch & Listen

Australia’s Surrogacy System is Broken — Here’s What Needs to Change

Surrogacy in Australia is at a critical crossroads. Families are increasingly forced to look overseas to start or grow their families, surrogates often find themselves without clear legal protections, and children born through surrogacy face a tangled web of legal uncertainty.

Surrogacy Nightmare: Aussie Couple Referred for Criminal Charges After Overseas Baby Journey

Surrogacy can be a beautiful path to parenthood, but it also comes with intricate legal challenges, especially when undertaken overseas. In a recent and cautionary case from Queensland, Australia, a couple’s journey to parenthood through commercial surrogacy in North Cyprus ended not with joy alone, but with legal turmoil and potential criminal charges.

NSW Surrogacy FAIL: What Lawyers Got Wrong and How to Avoid It

Surrogacy journeys should be joyous and smooth pathways to parenthood, but unfortunately, legal missteps can turn them into complex, frustrating ordeals.

Family Law Section Law Council of Australia Award
Member of Queensland law society
Family law Practitioners Association
International Academy of Family Lawyers - IAFL
Mediator Standards Board