Speaking at the introduction of the Bill, Such said: “I am introducing this bill at the request of a couple who happen to be a same-sex couple but who want this particular option available to them. This is not a same-sex provision, and members should not conclude that because I am introducing this I am necessarily opposed to same-sex marriage – I am not – but this is a specific request.

“The people who have requested it contacted my office again yesterday, and they are very keen that this matter progress through parliament.”

Such qualified that the Bill was  a very simple measure to allow the registration of a civil union, which currently has certain restrictions that could curtail some couples from taking up this option.

“I do not think I need to spend a lot of time. It is a very brief bill. There is a registrar provision; that is, the registrar of births, marriages and deaths. It is a fairly simple measure, and I do not see why people who want this arrangement should be denied it.”

He explained that the Bill was for “two adult persons who are in a relationship as a couple and who meet the eligibility criteria, irrespective of their gender, to register their relationship as a civil partnership. So it does not only apply to people of the same sex but it can apply to heterosexual couples as well.”

Further debate on the Bill will occur at a later date.