The Wire

The Federal government is considering using its powers over territories to ban gay and lesbian parents adopting children in the nation’s capital. A submission by the Attorney General’s office outlines how the government can over-ride recent changes to the ACT parenting act which allows same sex couples the same rights as heterosexual couples. While Western Australia and Tasmania also allow adoption by same sex couples, Rodney Croome, a prominent gay spokesperson, says it’s much easier for the government to override legislation in the ACT than in the states. Croome is concerned about what it means for same-sex parents who might have already adopted under the ACT legislation. The Howard government used the same Federal powers to outlaw euthanasia in the Northern Territory. According to Croome, using these powers negates decisions made by democratically elected State representatives.