Australia's conservative Prime Minister John Howard yesterday moved to ban gay marriages and stop same-sex couples adopting children from overseas, despite dissent within his own party.
Howard, fighting for his political life ahead of national elections expected in October or November, said his government would change the Marriage Act, which dates back to 1961, so it only recognizes heterosexual couples.
"I believe in these measures, they wouldn't be coming forward if I didn't believe very strongly in them," he said.
While gay marriages are not performed in Australia, the move would close a legal loophole allowing Australian gay couples to wed overseas then having the marriage recognized at home. Separate legislation will prevent gay couples adopting foreign children.
Howard said the government's definition of marriage was "the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life."
The prime minister said it was "cynical" to suggest the move was an attempt to divide progressive and conservative factions within the opposition Labor Party, which comfortably leads the government in opinion polls.
He admitted the proposals attracted objections from within his own party, saying some held "different views but the overwhelming majority of those in the party room supported it."
Sky News reported that four government politicians opposed the measures in a "fiery" party room meeting, with one, Trish Draper, labelling it "stupid politics" that would be seen as anti-gay and could result in her losing her marginal seat.
Howard also said laws governing superannuation retirement policies would be altered enabling people in a "financially interdependent" relationship to inherit benefits if one of them dies.
The move applies to gay couples but Howard said it was not aimed exclusively at them, pointing out two sisters living together in a financially interdependent relationship would also be covered.
Howard said he would like to impose an outright ban on gay couples adopting children but the Constitution did not give him the power to override state governments which allow the measure.
The New South Wales Gay and Lesbian Right Lobby accused Howard of homophobia and copying US President George W. Bush by using the issue to try to create a diversion from electorally-damaging issues such as the Iraq war.
"It's hard not to notice that he makes this announcement as he's trailing in the polls," lobby spokeswoman Somali Cerise said. "He's borrowed a second-hand tactic from George Bush to try to drive a wedge in the electorate.
"It hasn't worked for Bush and it won't work for Howard. Most Australians want to live in 2004, not the 1950s, which is where Howard wants to drag us."
If the changes were a tactic to split the Labor Party, it appeared to have failed, with Labor supporting Howard's proposed changes to the Marriage Act.
A Labor spokeswoman said the party, led by social conservative Mark Latham, believed common law already assumed that marriage was heterosexual.
"We're not going to get hot under the collar about a piece of legislation which is just confirming the existing law," she said.
The proposed changes were introduced to parliament yesterday and must pass the government-dominated lower house and the Senate, where minor parties hold the balance of power, before they become law.
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