It is disappointing to see mainland politicians playing fast and lose with the facts when it comes to Tasmania's groundbreaking Relationships Act and the registry that Act established.

Despite saying it wants every state to adopt such a registry, the new Federal Government seems to know next-to-nothing about how this registry works. The ACT and Victorian Governments are just as bad when it comes to comparing their proposed schemes to Tasmania's.

As convenor of a group representing partners recognised by the Tasmanian registry, I'd like to tackle some myths commonly repeated by these governments.

The Tasmanian registry does not certify existing de facto relationships.
It creates entirely new legal unions with all the same rights as marriage in state law.

Tasmanian partners do not register their partner like a dog or a car.
What is registered, just like a birth, death or marriage, is the signing of a Deed of Relationship.

A Deed of Relationship is not just a contract between partners. Like a marriage, it must involve third-party witnesses who are delegated by government to perform this role.

The number of Tasmanian recognised partners is not particularly "low".
It is on par with the numbers of civil unions in New Zealand and through Western Europe.

For all these reasons, a Tasmanian Deed of Relationship is recognised in countries like the UK as a civil union.

It is true that Tasmania does not permit partners to enter a Deed of Relationship through an official ceremony, as is being proposed in the ACT.

But the Tasmanian registry has many advantages lacking in both the ACT and Victorian proposals, not the least of which is that it allows the recognition of a far wider range of personal relationships.

Mainland governments that ask the community to respect their approach to the legal recognition of relationships should show the same respect to the scheme which pioneered change in this area, and still sets the standard.

Peter Power
Convenor
InDeed
(Tasmania's Association of Recognised Partners)
http://www.relationshipstasmania.org.au/indeed.html

Tags: relationships register, tasmania