The NSW cross-party working group for marriage equality has welcomed the introduction and successful passage of the Marriage Bill in the British House of Commons last night.

Trevor Khan, Bruce Notley-Smith, Cate Faehmann, Penny Sharpe and Alex Greenwich of the Cross Part Working Group for Marriage Equality are heartened by the UK bill

The UK Bill will allow same-sex couples to get married in both civil and religious ceremonies (where a religious institution has formally consented) in England and Wales.

It will also allow couples who have previously entered into civil partnerships to convert their relationship into a marriage.

The British consulate in Sydney performs the most civil partnerships outside of the UK. Those same-sex couples living in NSW who have had a UK civil partnership will be able to convert their civil partnership to marriage.

“This is fantastic news for hundreds of same-sex couples living in NSW who will soon be formally married.”

“It also means that same-sex couples in NSW (where one party has British Citizenship) will soon be able to get married in Sydney. “

The success of this legislation in the House of Commons sends a positive message to the cross party group for marriage equality in NSW:

“The three major parties in the UK (the Tories, Liberal Democrats and Labour) allowed members a free vote on this and proved that when all sides of politics work together you can achieve meaningful outcomes for same-sex couples”