12th December, 2013
Groups opposing the introduction of same-sex marriage – including the Australian Christian Lobby, Family Voice Australia and the National Marriage Coalition – have welcomed the High Court’s decision today to overturn the Australian Capital Territory’s same-sex marriage laws.
Lyle Shelton, managing director of the ACL, says the unanimous ruling upholds the uniformity of laws across the nation and showed it was "not the jurisdiction of states to legislate in regards to marriage".
He said that the same-sex couples who married under the ACT legislation would be disappointed and said it was "unfortunate" they were put in such a position.
Gerard Calilhanna, of the National Marriage Coalition, said the group "applauded" the decision.
"Children have a right to a mother and a father and homosexual “marriage” robs them of that birthright," he said. "Homosexual “marriage” redefines everybody”s marriage – this is not a marginal change in law but a substantial shift. For the sake of our marriages and our children, we must always stand firm against it.”
FamilyVoice president, Dr David Phillips, said the decision was "common sense".
“It is good to have judicial confirmation of what most Australians already knew – that any state or territory laws for so-called same-sex “marriage” would be unconstitutional. Debates in state parliaments on this issue have been a waste of time.”
– DAVID ADAMS