2013-2014-2015 

 

The Parliament of the 

Commonwealth of Australia 

 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

 

 

 

 

Presented and read a first time 

 

 

 

 

Marriage Legislation Amendment Bill 

2015 

 

No.      , 2015 

 

(Mr Entsch, Ms Gambaro, Ms TM Butler, Mr Ferguson, Mr Bandt, Ms McGowan and 

Mr Wilkie) 

 

 

 

A Bill for an Act to amend the law relating to 

marriage, and for related purposes 

   

   

 

 

No.      , 2015 

Marriage Legislation Amendment Bill 2015 

i 

 

Contents 

1 

Short title ........................................................................................... 1

 

2 

Commencement ................................................................................. 1

 

3 

Schedules ........................................................................................... 2

 

Schedule 1--Amendment of the Marriage Act 1961

 

3

 

Marriage Act 1961

 

3

 

Schedule 2--Consequential amendments

 

6

 

Part 1--Amendment of the Sex Discrimination Act 1984

 

6

 

Sex Discrimination Act 1984

 

6

 

Part 2--Other consequential amendments

 

7

 

 

 

 

 

No.      , 2015 

Marriage Legislation Amendment Bill 2015 

1 

 

A Bill for an Act to amend the law relating to 

1 

marriage, and for related purposes 

2 

The Parliament of Australia enacts: 

3 

1  Short title 

4 

 

  This Act may be cited as the Marriage Legislation Amendment Act 

5 

2015. 

6 

2  Commencement 

7 

 

(1)  Each provision of this Act specified in column 1 of the table 

8 

commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with 

9 

column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect 

10 

according to its terms. 

11 

 

12 

   

   

 

 

2 

Marriage Legislation Amendment Bill 2015 

No.      , 2015 

 

Commencement information 

Column 1 

Column 2 

Column 3 

Provisions 

Commencement 

Date/Details 

1.  Sections 1 to 3 

and anything in 

this Act not 

elsewhere covered 

by this table 

The day this Act receives the Royal Assent. 

 

2.  Schedule 1 

The 14th day after this Act receives the 

Royal Assent. 

 

3.  Schedule 2, 

Part 1 

The 14th day after this Act receives the 

Royal Assent. 

 

4.  Schedule 2, 

Part 2 

The day after this Act receives the Royal 

Assent. 

 

Note:  

This table relates only to the provisions of this Act as originally 

1 

enacted. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of 

2 

this Act. 

3 

 

(2)  Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this Act. 

4 

Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it 

5 

may be edited, in any published version of this Act. 

6 

3  Schedules 

7 

 

  Legislation that is specified in a Schedule to this Act is amended or 

8 

repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule 

9 

concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this Act has effect 

10 

according to its terms. 

11 

Amendment of the Marriage Act 1961  Schedule 1 

   

 

 

No.      , 2015 

Marriage Legislation Amendment Bill 2015 

3 

 

Schedule 1

--Amendment of the Marriage Act 

1 

1961 

2 

   

3 

Marriage Act 1961 

4 

1  After section 2 

5 

Insert: 

6 

3  Objects 

7 

 

  The object of this Act is to allow couples to marry, and to have 

8 

their marriages recognised, regardless of sex, sexual orientation, 

9 

gender identity or intersex status. 

10 

2  Subsection 5(1) (definition of marriage) 

11 

Repeal the definition, substitute: 

12 

marriage means the union of 2 people to the exclusion of all 

13 

others, voluntarily entered into for life. 

14 

Note: 

See section 110 for the application of this definition. 

15 

3  Paragraph 23B(2)(b) 

16 

Omit "a brother and a sister", substitute "siblings". 

17 

4  At the end of section 39 

18 

Add: 

19 

 

(4)  A person who is authorised by subsection (1) or under 

20 

subsection (2) to solemnise marriages must not refuse to solemnise 

21 

a marriage if: 

22 

 

(a)  the refusal would amount to unlawful discrimination (within 

23 

the meaning of the Australian Human Rights Commission Act 

24 

1986); and 

25 

 

(b)  section 100 of this Act does not prevent the person from 

26 

solemnising the marriage. 

27 

5  Subsection 45(2) 

28 

After "or husband", insert ", or partner, or spouse". 

29 

Schedule 1  Amendment of the Marriage Act 1961 

   

 

 

4 

Marriage Legislation Amendment Bill 2015 

No.      , 2015 

 

6  Subsection 46(1) 

1 

Omit "a man and a woman", substitute "2 people". 

2 

7  Section 47 

3 

After "Part", insert ", or in any other law". 

4 

8  At the end of section 47 

5 

Add: 

6 

Note: 

Because of paragraph (a), a minister of religion may refuse to 

7 

solemnise a marriage for any reason, including because to do so would 

8 

be contrary to the minister's beliefs or the minister's understanding of 

9 

the doctrines, tenets, beliefs or teachings of the minister's 

10 

denomination. 

11 

9  Subsection 72(2) 

12 

After "or husband", insert ", or partner, or spouse". 

13 

10  At the end of section 81 

14 

Add: 

15 

Note: 

Another ground might be that the solemnisation of the marriage would 

16 

be contrary to the chaplain's beliefs or the chaplain's understanding of 

17 

the doctrines, tenets, beliefs or teachings of the chaplain's church or 

18 

faith group. 

19 

11  Section 88EA 

20 

Repeal the section. 

21 

12  Part VIII (heading) 

22 

Repeal the heading, substitute: 

23 

Part VIII--Application and transitional provisions 

24 

Division 1--Commencement of this Act 

25 

13  At the end of Part VIII 

26 

Add: 

27 

Amendment of the Marriage Act 1961  Schedule 1 

   

 

 

No.      , 2015 

Marriage Legislation Amendment Bill 2015 

5 

 

Division 2--Amendment of the definition of marriage 

1 

110  Application of amendments relating to the definition of marriage 

2 

 

(1)  The amendments of this Act made by Schedule 1 to the Marriage 

3 

Legislation Amendment Act 2015 apply in relation to marriages 

4 

that take place at or after the commencement of that Schedule. 

5 

 

(2)  The marriage definition amendments apply after that 

6 

commencement, in relation to marriages that took place before that 

7 

commencement, for the purposes of the following provisions: 

8 

 

(a)  Division 3 of Part IV (marriages by foreign diplomatic or 

9 

consular officers); 

10 

 

(b)  Part VA (recognition of foreign marriages); 

11 

 

(c)  this subsection; 

12 

 

(d)  any other provision of this Act, in so far as the provision 

13 

applies in relation to a marriage that is recognised as valid 

14 

because of paragraph (a) or (b) of this subsection. 

15 

 

(3)  The marriage definition amendments are the amendments of the 

16 

following provisions of this Act made by Schedule 1 to the 

17 

Marriage Legislation Amendment Act 2015: 

18 

 

(a)  the definition of marriage in subsection 5(1); 

19 

 

(b)  paragraph 23B(2)(b). 

20 

14  Part III of the Schedule (table item 1) 

21 

Omit "a husband and wife", substitute "2 people". 

22 

Schedule 2  Consequential amendments 

Part 1  Amendment of the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 

 

 

6 

Marriage Legislation Amendment Bill 2015 

No.      , 2015 

 

Schedule 2

--Consequential amendments 

1 

Part 1

--Amendment of the Sex Discrimination Act 

2 

1984 

3 

Sex Discrimination Act 1984 

4 

1  Subsection 40(2A) 

5 

Repeal the subsection. 

6 

Consequential amendments  Schedule 2 

Other consequential amendments  Part 2 

 

 

No.      , 2015 

Marriage Legislation Amendment Bill 2015 

7 

 

Part 2

--Other consequential amendments 

1 

2  Regulations may make consequential amendments of Acts 

2 

(1) 

The Governor-General may, during the period of 12 months starting on 

3 

the commencement of this item, make regulations amending Acts 

4 

(including the Marriage Act 1961 and the Sex Discrimination Act 1984) 

5 

being amendments that are consequential on, or that otherwise relate to, 

6 

the amendments made by Schedule 1 to this Act. The amendments may 

7 

directly amend the text of an Act. 

8 

(2) 

The Governor-General may make regulations prescribing matters of a 

9 

transitional nature (including prescribing any saving or application 

10 

provisions) relating to: 

11 

 

(a)  any amendments made by regulations under subitem (1); or 

12 

 

(b)  the amendments made by Part 1 of this Schedule. 

13 

Retrospective commencement 

14 

(3) 

Despite subsection 12(2) of the Legislative Instruments Act 2003 (as in 

15 

force immediately before the commencement of Schedule 1 to the Acts 

16 

and Instruments (Framework Reform) Act 2015), regulations made for 

17 

the purposes of this item may be expressed to take effect from a date 

18 

before the regulations are registered under that Act. 

19 

(4) 

Subsection 12(2) (retrospective application of legislative instruments) 

20 

of the Legislation Act 2003, as in force on and after the commencement 

21 

of Schedule 1 to the Acts and Instruments (Framework Reform) Act 

22 

2015, does not apply in relation to regulations made for the purposes of 

23 

this item. 

24 

(5) 

However, if: 

25 

 

(a)  a person engaged in conduct before the regulations were 

26 

registered under the Legislative Instruments Act 2003 or the 

27 

Legislation Act 2003; and 

28 

 

(b)  but for the retrospective effect or commencement of the 

29 

regulations, the conduct would not have contravened a 

30 

provision of an Act or instrument; 

31 

then a court must not convict the person of an offence, or impose a 

32 

pecuniary penalty, in relation to the conduct on the grounds that it 

33 

contravened that provision. 

34 

Schedule 2  Consequential amendments 

Part 2  Other consequential amendments 

 

 

8 

Marriage Legislation Amendment Bill 2015 

No.      , 2015 

 

Publication 

1 

(6) 

To avoid doubt, amendments of an Act made by regulations for the 

2 

purposes of subitem (1) can be incorporated into a reprint or 

3 

compilation of the Act. 

4