V7 Marriage Equality Inquiry

Inquiry into the Marriage Equality Amendment Bill 2009

Submissions received by the Committee as at 25 September 2009
Reference: http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/legcon_ctte/marriage_equality/submissions/sublist.htm

On 25 June 2009 the Senate voted to send the Marriage Equality Amendment Bill 2009 to an inquiry. The Bill was lodged in the Senate the day before by Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young.

The Bill seeks to amend the federal Marriage Act so that same-sex partners are able to marry in Australia, and to recognise same-sex marriages legally entered into overseas.

The inquiry is being conducted by the Senate's Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee. Submissions were received until Friday 28 August 2009 with the inquiry due to report by 26 November 2009.

"A number of people who made submissions have inquired about whether and when submissions will be published on the inquiry's webpage.

In excess of 25,000 submissions were received in relation to this inquiry. To date, publication of submissions has concentrated on submissions from representative organisations, and a small selection of other submissions from commentators. A larger selection of submissions, including submissions made by individuals, is being prepared for the website, but it will not be physically possible to publish all submissions.

However, the foreshadowed publication will include more detailed information about the numbers of submissions received and the range of views expressed in them, as well as a large representative sample of the range of submissions received. Many people have expressed concern about privacy.

No personal details of individuals, such as addresses and phone numbers, will be published, and this information will be removed from any individual submissions posted on the website. Names will also be withheld where this has been requested."