phanto, the most obvious 'benefit' from having a state sanctioned marriage is the state issued marriage certificate. It allows ease of next of kin allocation to the partner, unlike now. It also enables an easy name change if someone wants to take their partners surname (although why people want to do that in the 21st century escapes me). There is also the issue of adoption that becomes easier for married couples...and by that I mean becoming the adoptive parent to the partners children. Being married also means that it is recognised in other countries...and by amending the legislation those married in other countries would be recognised as such here.

There is also the issue of status...married couples have their relationship given a greater status to that of unions or de facto couples. It is seen by society to have a higher level of commitment...and there are no eligibility criteria that have to be met (such as de facto's where there has to be two years together or have children).

I think I'm about to run out of word space so I'll leave it at that for now.

minotaur:

“It allows ...”

Such allocation should be based on closeness of relationship. If the aim of marriage certificates is to give access to the most significant person in your life then there is no guarantee that the person you married is the most significant. If you have left your wife and became emotionally attached to another partner for thirty years but never married or divorced then who is the more significant person to you? How inhumane are those kind of laws that ignore emotional significance?

“It also enables...”

Why should you have to get married to change your name? It is a basic human right to call yourself whatever name you want. Anyone who gets married in order to change their name has no dignity. They should stand up for their rights to have their own name regardless of their marital status.

“There is also the issue of adoption ...”

That is just blatant discrimination. It should not be any easier for married couples. All couples should have equal access to adopting their partner’s children. Married couples do not automatically make better parents than non-married couples. Anyone who accepts that kind of discrimination has no self-respect and anyone who complies with it by getting married for that reason lacks dignity.

“Being married....”

Why do you need the recognition of other countries? If it is not necessary in Australia then it should not be necessary anywhere else in the world. If same-sex marriage is not reasonable here then it is not reasonable anywhere else. What other countries do is their problem. If they behave unreasonably it does not mean that we should go along with their unreasonableness.

“There is also the issue ...”

If any individual or society issues greater status to married couples then they are displaying bigotry beyond words. Such arrogance should never be the reason for doing anything. In the civilised world we do not have ‘status’. Every human being is considered equal and no piece of government issued paper can make you any more equal than anyone else.

Take it all up with the government and society phanto.

Aren't you a part of society?

A very tiny part...and probably not one who runs with the main pack.

They are not reasons for not responding to my arguments. They sound more like excuses.