So, apparently Christmas miracles do happen! As you all know by now, unless you’ve been living under a rock, the amendment to the Marriage Act (1961) was passed and as of midnight last night, all LGBTIQ+ people who have been previously married overseas in countries where their marriages were legally recognised now officially have their marriages recognised here! Also as of midnight, ALL people can legally get married here in Australia to their partners, regardless of gender, race or sexual orientation!
I’ve never been more proud to be an Aussie. Sure, it took us longer to be on the right side of history than most of the western world, and it took an unnecessary and painful process to do it, but we finally got here. I’m so relieved, and happy, and excited!
As such, I have made the decision to withdraw as a Civil Partnership Notary and focus solely on my services as a Registered Civil Celebrant. QLD’s Civil Unions were a step in the right direction, and I loved being a CPN in a time when other States were not offering the same rights to their LGBTIQ communities, however now that there is true equality in place, I can’t honestly see many couples choosing a Civil Partnership over a true Marriage.
Maybe I’m wrong and there are still couples who would prefer the former over the latter, and that’s their prerogative, but as of today, I will no longer be practicing as a CPN. I will, however, still be offering all of my other services at the same rates as I always have.
I also want to offer my congratulations again to everyone who supported the Yes movement, to the LGBTIQ+ community, their families and friends, for this historic achievement in Australia. It took a while, but we got there!