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Gay marriage advocates say they will fight on despite the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee recommending against same-sex marriage.

Australian Marriage Equality spokesman Alex Greenwich said the fight for marriage rights would continue.

“This Inquiry has shown that marriage equality is passionately supported by many Australians from all walks of life – gay and straight, religious and non-religious, conservative and progressive,” he said.

“Kevin Rudd’s obsession with opposing full equality for same-sex couples leaves us with no choice but to make marriage equality a key issue in the run up to the next federal election.”

Greenwich welcomed the report’s recommendation to remove a government ban on gay and lesbian Australians obtaining the official government documents required to enter into same-sex marriages overseas. The restriction has been in place since 2004.

The Committee has recommended the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade issue Certificates of Non-Impediment to same-sex couples on the same basis they are issued for opposite-sex couples.

ACON CEO Nicolas Parkhill labelled the Committee’s position contradictory.

“To recommend the equal treatment of same-sex couples but then to also recommend the retention of unequal marriage laws is perplexing to say the least,” he said.

“It appears that in the eyes of the Senate Committee, all couples are equal but some are more equal than others.”