This fact sheet highlights some of the key trends in same-sex couple families in Australia.

Once the plebiscite bill for same sex marriage is passed by the House of Representatives, it will then be tested on the floor of the Senate, where it now looks unlikely to get the support the government needs. Federal Attorney-General, George Brandis, has appealed to the Labor party to support the bill, saying it would...

Like much else in the forty-fifth parliament’s infancy, the same-sex marriage plebiscite has become hostage to the dynamics of contemporary politics: a weakened prime minister, a ferociously oppositional federal opposition led by a man also less than secure in his job, and a large, attention-craving Senate crossbench. As with last week’s big topic, political finance...

The High Court in 2013 overturned the understanding of marriage in the Marriage Act 1961 as an exclusive, voluntary, heterosexual union for life, and that the Constitution therefore allowed the introduction of same sex marriage if the Parliament so decided. It is argued that the High Court’s decision was incorrect. In effect, the Constitution has...

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...