Australia rules against gay marriage law

Dec. 12 (UPI) -- Australia's High Court ruled today to remove a recently passed law that permitted same sex marriages in the capital and its surrounding areas.

The unanimous High Court ruling found that the Australian Capital Territory's law could not stand concurrently with the federal Marriage Act, which defined in 2004 that marriage was been a man and a woman. The ACT's gay marriage law was passed in October and permitted couples to marry since last Saturday. With the overturning of the gay marriage law, more than twenty same sex marriages have been nullified.

Australian Marriage Equality national director Rodney Croome responded to the High Court's verdict by acknowledging "This is devastating for those couples who married this week and for their families" but that the ruling is "a temporary defeat."

ACT Chief Minister Katy Gallagher, speaking before the ruling, said that whatever the High Court's verdict, the case has put the gay marriage debate on the national agenda.

[The New Zealand Herald] [The Australian] [Canberra Times]