Same-sex couples hurried to declare plans to tie the knot on Saturday as Australia’s new marriage equality law came into effect, with wedding registry offices holding special hours for the first day of legalised gay unions.
The historic Bill finally legalising same-sex marriage came into effect barely 24 hours after its overwhelming passage through Parliament.
Couples wanting to wed under the new law could lodge a notice to marry on Saturday, but will have to wait a calendar month before exchanging vows, meaning the first weddings are expected on January 9.
The legislation came after more than 60% of Australian voters backed marriage equality in a three-month national postal vote.
Making an exception
To mark the historic moment, registry offices in some parts of the country exceptionally agreed to accept new marriage applications on Saturday, when normally they are only open to conduct weddings.
“Instead of just doing marriages, we thought we’d open it up to the public today for anyone in our community to come in and lodge a notice of intended marriage,” said Amanda Ianna, a registrar for New South Wales State.
Daniel Barnett and Daniel Gray-Barnett didn’t decide until Saturday morning to take advantage of the special hours, but they were still the first ones to register. “We just got up and came here and signed the papers and yeah, it’s a good day,” Daniel Barnett said. Gay couples who already married overseas saw their unions officially recognised.
The final legislative step came on Thursday when only four members of the 150-seat House of Representatives voted against gay unions.
