Canberra - Australia's High Court has overturned legislation allowing gay marriage in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The ACT parliament passed a bill in October making the territory the first part of Australia to legalise same-sex weddings. But the national government challenged the decision, saying it was inconsistent with federal laws. Some 27 couples who married since the law came into effect last weekend will now have their unions declared invalid. The court said the issue should be decided by parliament - which in September 2012 voted down gay marriage legislation. The ACT legislation had allowed gay couples to marry inside the ACT, which includes the Australian capital, Canberra - regardless of which state they live in. Federal law, however, specified in 2004 that marriage was between a man and a woman. The High Court in Canberra ruled unanimously against the ACT legislation on Thursday, saying that it could not stand alongside national-level laws. "Whether same sex marriage should be provided for by law is a matter for the federal parliament," it said in a statement. "The Marriage Act does not now provide for the formation or recognition of marriage between same-sex couples. The Marriage Act provides that a marriage can be solemnised in Australia only between a man and a woman," it added.
Attorney-General George Brandis had previously warned that the local law would face a legal challenge, because it was inconsistent with the country's Marriage Act. Australian Marriage Equality National Director Rodney Croome said in a statement: "This is devastating for those couples who married this week and for their families." Ivan Hinton, who had married his partner Chris Teoh on Saturday, tearfully told reporters: "In less than a week we've been married and we've been unmarried, at least on a legal level." (FA)
