|
|
Article: Civil unions 'waste of time'
- Article from:
- The Press
- Article date:
- April 25, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2006 The Press. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
|
The much-lauded civil union legislation has been labelled a "waste
of time" by critics, with only about 460 couples choosing civil
unions since they became law a year ago.
Political opponents of the legislation say the poor showing --
which compares 458 civil unions to about 20,000 marriages -- proves
the move was "political symbolism".
Figures released by the Department of Internal Affairs yesterday
show of the civil unions, 178 were male-male unions, 199 were female-
female unions and 81 were heterosexual unions.
Labour MP Tim Barnett, the politician who drove the legislation
that put civil unions on the same legal footing as marriages, said