Same-sex marriage has been legal in Australia since 9 December The law came into effect on 9 December, immediately recognising overseas same-sex marriages. The first same-sex wedding under Australian law was held on 15 December Other types of recognition for same-sex couples are also available.
Under federal law, same-sex couples can also be recognised as de facto relationships. De facto couples have most of the same rights and responsibilities afforded to married couples, although these rights may be difficult to assert and are not always recognised in practice. Although there is no national civil union or relationships register scheme in Australia, most states and territories have legislated for civil unions or domestic partnership registries.
Registered unions are recognised as de facto relationships under federal law. Prior to legalisation, 22 bills to allow same-sex marriage were introduced to Parliament between September and May These failed attempts came after the Howard government in amended the Marriage Act to codify the then exclusively heterosexual common law definition of marriage.
Australia was the second country in Oceania to allow same-sex couples to marry after New Zealand. De facto relationships, defined in the federal Family Law Act , [ 4 ] are available to both same-sex and opposite-sex couples. De facto relationships provide couples who live together on a genuine domestic basis with many of the same rights and benefits as married couples.
Two people can become a de facto couple by entering into a registered relationship i. Following the Australian Human Rights Commission's report "Same-Sex: Same Entitlements", [ 7 ] and an audit of federal legislation, in the Rudd government introduced several reforms designed to equalise treatment for same-sex couples and same-sex families. The reforms amended 85 Commonwealth laws to eliminate discrimination against same-sex couples and their children in a wide range of areas.
