Govt blocks same sex entitlements inquiry

Findlaw.com.au reports that Democrats Senator Andrew Bartlett has slammed the federal government for using its Senate majority to block a Senate Committee from examining legislation seeking to implement the recently completed Human Rights Commission report into discrimination against same-sex couples.

The Democrats had introduced legislation into the Senate put into law the recommendations from the Human Rights Commission’s report, Same Sex: Same Entitlements . The party sought to have a Senate Inquiry “to assess whether or not [the] Bill adequately reflects and implements those recommendations, before moving to have it passed by the Parliament prior to the election.”

“The federal government repeatedly says it supports removing discrimination against same-sex couples, yet it repeatedly blocks every single effort by the Democrats to implement this basic principle in law,” Mr Bartlett said.

Stephen Page, Harrington Family Lawyers, Brisbane spage@harringtonfamilylawyers.com 61(7) 3221 9544