Under the Marriage Act 1961, a Commonwealth-registered marriage celebrant must: complete Certificate IV in Celebrancy be assessed as a fit and proper person, and pay an application fee and ongoing annual fees ministers of religion authorised to solemnise marriages are not subject to these standards and obligations Ministers of religion wishing to solemnise marriages must...

Voluntary euthanasia and assisted suicide for patients with a terminal illness and suffering severe pain to be decriminalised. In addition to the patient’s primary medical practitioner a second and independent practitioner would be required to confirm his / her agreement with the diagnosis and prognosis. Information about palliative care options must be given to the...

Most Australians support marriage equality and the Sex Discrimination Amendment (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Intersex Status) Act 2013 prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexuality. However, the Marriage Amendment Act 2004 discriminates on the basis of sex, sexuality and gender by not allowing same sex couples to marry and by not recognising the overseas...

Australia has an obligation to assist other nations which are yet to experience our levels of prosperity. The OECD target for foreign aid, known as Official Development Assistance, is 0.7% of Gross National Income. We need to meet this level of aid in order to pull our weight internationally, show the world that Australia is...

The National School Chaplaincy Programme provides funding to government schools to appoint religious chaplains. This funding cannot be accessed to appoint non-religious student support staff. This is discriminatory against students of other faiths or beliefs, and runs counter to the founding principles of the Australian public education system. Student support staff should be funded and...