Media Release
Tuesday November 26th 2019
 
ABS SAME-SEX MARRIAGE STATS A REMINDER OF REFORM'S POSITIVE IMPACT
 
"These figures should also be a reminder that marriage equality was never an ideological crusade, but a heart-felt aspiration for equal dignity and belonging that was widely-shared by LGBTI people and our families." - Rodney Croome
 
Equality advocates have welcomed ABS figures released today showing that in 2018 over 6,500 same-sex couples married, making up 5.5% of all Australian marriages.
 
Spokepserson for national LGBTI advocacy group, just.equal, Rodney Croome, said,
 
"The ABS statistics are a reminder of the large number of LGBTI Australians and our families for whom marriage and equality are important, and for whom the reform has had a profound and positive impact."
 
"These figures should also be a reminder that marriage equality was never an ideological crusade, but a heart-felt aspiration for equal dignity and belonging that was widely-shared by LGBTI people and our families."
 
The ABS figures do not include marriages where partners did not identify as male or female prompting Mr Croome to say that gender diverse partners should be visible and counted.
 
The ABS figures released today also show
 
  • There are more female than male married same-sex couples (57.2% to 42.2%)
  • The jurisdiction with the highest percentage of same-sex marriages was the ACT (8.3%) and the state with highest was Tasmania (5.7%)
  • 98.9% of same-sex marriages were colemnised by civil celebrants, with most religious same-sex marriages being officiated in the Uniting Church.
  • The median age of married same-sex partners was significantly higher than for opposite-sex partners
 
For the ABS statistics: https://bit.ly/34oKAv3
For a copy of this statement on the web, click here
 
For more information contact Rodney Croome on 0409 010 668