Nick Minchin (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance and Administration) Share this | Hansard source

On behalf of the government, I advise that the government will be opposing the motion to disallow the instrument made by the Governor-General in relation to the ACTU Civil Unions Act 2006. I would like to outline the reasons why. Of course, the starting point is that, under the Australian Constitution, the Commonwealth parliament has an unambiguous responsibility for legislation in this country on matters pertaining to marriage. That is clear in section 51, placitum (xxi), of the Constitution—