Cairns register to accept same-sex couples

AAP

A north Queensland council plans to set up a partnership register that will acknowledge gay, lesbian and transgender unions.

Cairns Regional Council have been in discussions with other councils in Sydney, Melbourne and Tasmania that already have relationship registers to give people an alternative to traditional marriage.

Labor Mayor Val Schier and councillors, who are predominantly independents, supported the idea raised by Cairns Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Alliance spokesman Nick Thompson in February.

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A council spokeswoman said Cairns is expected to be the first council in Queensland to launch such a register, and it may be set up as soon as December.

She said it would provide same-sex couples with proof of their relationship when applying for insurance or house loans, but how binding it would be legally was not clear.

?It won?t be just for same-sex couples but also for heterosexual couples not married but who need proof that they are in a long-term relationship,? she said.

?It will also provide documentation for guardians of children.

?In Aboriginal communities, children are often cared for unofficially by an auntie or grandparent.?

She said the register would help unofficial guardians provide proof to schools that they have a shared caring arrangement for a child.

?It?s early days yet ? but discussions are under way with other councils that have similar registers,? she said.

Mr Thompson told the Cairns Post it?s the ?next best thing? to marriage.

?It will be great for Cairns couples, but also has benefits for tourists who might want to visit Cairns to have their relationship formally recognised,? mr Thompson said.

?In a lot of cases people in same-sex relationships who can?t have a formal ceremony use these types of registers.

?They can have benefits for their overall wellbeing.?

In the federal arena, the Greens have put a bill before parliament to include same-sex andtransgender marriages, but the federal government is not pursuing the matter.

Tags: council spokeswoman, federal government, Queensland council, Val Schier, sydney melbourne
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