When will same-sex marriage be made legal in Australia?

Same-sex marriage will soon be legal in Australia

Australian Parliament is currently debating changes to the Marriage Act 1961,  which would allow same-sex couples to marry in Australia 2018. This follows a resounding 'yes' vote in the 2017 plebiscite on Marriage Equality. The contentious postal vote revealed that 61.6% of Australians believe same-sex marriage should be legalised.

Prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has pledged that parliament will vote on the issue of marriage equality before Christmas. Changes to the Marriage Act 1961 will need to be passed in the House of Representatives and the Senate. The earliest same-sex marriage could be ratified and accepted into law would be December 8, but there are no concrete timeframes in place and it coule be much later.

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Once same-sex weddings are made legal, LGBTI couples will first need to lodge a Notice Of Intended Marriage with their celebrant in order to be able to marry. There is then a minimum one-month waiting period required before the marriage can take place. 

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The Attorney General's Department advises: "Marriage celebrants are currently not able to accept a Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) from same-sex couples. The date from which same-sex weddings could occur in Australia will depend on the date the Australian law is changed to allow same-sex marriage."

This means that early-to-mid January 2018 is the earliest possible date for a same-sex wedding, however it could be much later than that. Learn more about legal requirements for marriage.

Exact timeframes will depend on how quickly it's passed through government and into law, then how quickly relevant marriage paperwork can be provided by the Government.

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Modern Sydney Celebrant Laura Craddock is a keen supporter of marriage equality. Working as a civil celebrant since 2010, she has already performed many meaningful Commitment Ceremonies for same-sex couples in Sydney. She now looks forward to making these commitments legal. 

Laura creates personal, meaningful and enjoyable marriage ceremonies for all Sydney couples regardless of their gender or sexual preferences. Email Laura or call her on 0422507105 to discuss potential dates for your same-sex wedding or to find out more about the process and timeframes involved with getting married.