AUSTRALIA: Fourth State Recognizes Foreign Marriages

Gay Star News reports:

Same-sex couples who have married overseas will now have those marriages given legal recognition when they return home to the Australian state of Victoria after lawmakers passed the Relationships Amendment Bill.

Same-sex marriage is still not legal in Australia despite overwhelming support from the Australian people so many Australian states have created relationship registers so that same-sex couples can formalize their relationships for legal purposes.

The Relationships Amendment Bill will see overseas civil unions and same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions automatically given the same legal weight as registered relationships.

Victoria joins the states of New South Wales, Queensland and Tasmania in recognizing overseas same-sex marriages – meaning a majority of the Australian states now legally recognize the existence of same-sex marriages in some way.