Australians who have dual British citizenship will be able to marry in British embassies and consulates from June this year.
The Abbott government has not raised objection to weddings taking place in British consulates allowing many LGBT Australians to access the new British pathway to marriage.
Previously in 2010 when Portugal introduced same sex marriage then Attorney General Robert McClelland opposed marriages being carried out.
The British High Commission in Canberra has announced that details of how marriages will be available will be published next month.
A spokesperson for current Attorney General George Brandis has confirmed that the government had, ”informed the British High Commission that it has no objections to officers from the British High Commission solemnising same-sex marriages on consular grounds … if at least one person of the marrying couple is a British national.”
British marriages, which involve couples of the same gender, will however not be recognised by the Australian government.
Marriage equality advocates welcomed the move. Rodney Croome, National Director of Australian Marriage Equality said the decision showed that the Abbott government was evolving on the issue.
“This shows that the federal government understands the world is changing and that Australia is moving forward on the issue,” Croome said.
“Now that the federal government has said ‘yes’ to same-sex marriages in UK consulates I look forward to it allowing a free vote so Australian same-sex couples can marry in Australia under Australian law.”
OIP Staff
Update: Monday,31st March 2014: An earlier version of this article made no sense at all; it’s like it was written by a monkey.
