05:32

A new set of amendments from One Nation to the cross-party marriage bill have landed on the books - they appear to allow all celebrants to refuse to solemnise a marriage, not just those that register as “religious marriage celebrants”.



I understand a number of other amendments are circulating.

The David Fawcett amendments expand the category of “religious marriage celebrant” to “traditional marriage celebrant” - in effect allowing people to refuse weddings based on conscientious beliefs regardless of their religion.

Another allows military officers (who solemnise marriages in lieu of chaplains) to reject weddings.



They also preserve one curious feature of the James Paterson bill - that marriages between “two persons” are established in a different subsection to marriages between a man and a woman



The Greens amendments:

Add a clause that the marriage law is not intended to exclude or limit state or territory anti-discrimination laws

Remove the ability for existing civil celebrants to register as religious marriage celebrants. Celebrants would not be able to refuse weddings based on their personal religious belief.

Exemptions to the Sex Discrimination Act for religious bodies to refuse goods and services “in regards to marriage” would be removed because they replicate existing provisions

These amendments are in addition to those from senator David Leyonhjelm relating to celebrants and commercial discrimination against weddings, although Coalition conservatives have given up on the latter.

