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MEDIA RELEASE ABN 40 075 120 517

For release: September 21, 2009

Federal Labor called on to uphold marriage election

promise
The Australian Christian Lobby has called on the Federal Government to honour
its election commitment to uphold marriage between a man and a woman in the
face of reports the ACT Labor caucus has decided to back a Greens bill which
mimics marriage.

ACL Managing Director Jim Wallace said he expected the Federal Government to
intervene to ensure the election commitment was honoured.

“We expect the Federal Government to stand by the promise it took to the 2007
election not to allow schemes which ‘mimic marriage’,” Mr Wallace said.

“This is a commitment that was made for the life of the Government.”

In the lead-up to the 2007 election Labor said its policy “explicitly committed
Labor to ensure that any such (State or Territory) scheme of relationship
registration would not mimic marriage.”
http://www.australiavotes.org/policies/index.php?topic_ids=5#question1

Mr Wallace said this was not an issue of Territory rights as it was not appropriate
for nine or ten people to implement far-reaching social reforms which undermined
Federal legislation.

It was also not an issue of rights or entitlements for same-sex couples as these
had been addressed through other legislative measures at State or Territory
level.

Media Contact: Glynis Quinlan on 0408 875 979.