(Canberra) The groundbreaking civil union law passed by the Australian Capital Territory has been nullified by the country's Governor General, Michael Jeffery.

Following a meeting between the G.G. and Prime Minister John Howard the law was declared null and void.

The move was not a surprise, Howard's center-right government had warned for weeks that it considered the legislation tantamount to legalizing gay marriage.

In 2004 his government passed a law limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples.

"We have no quarrel with the territory's legislating in those areas in which it has responsibility, and we accept the decisions they make supported by their electorate - except when they provocatively and deliberately seek to intrude into areas for which they have no responsibility," said federal Attorney-General Philip Ruddock.

Last week the ACT government attempted an end run around the federal threat to have the law vetoed by moving up the date under which civil unions would begin.

The civil unions legislation still has a long shot chance - an overriding bill in Parliament.

ACT Attorney-General Simon Corbell said his government would push for that. "We won't be backing down on this issue," he said.

The Labor Party has announced it would support a bill to revive the ACT bill, but it is uncertain if there is enough support to pass the measure. 
The ACT law is based on Britain's civil partnerships and offers all of the rights and responsibilities of marriage without using the term.

via 365gay.com

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 13, 2006 at 8:53 AM. Want to discuss? Leave a comment below.