Federal Attorney-General Robert McClelland will introduce an omnibus bill to parliament this week addressing the remaining 99 federal laws that discriminate against same-sex couples in areas such as taxation and social security.

The Same-Sex Relationships (Equal Treatment in Commonwealth Laws – General Law Reform) Bill was cleared by the Federal Parliamentary Caucus of the Australian Labor Party in its meeting on Tuesday in Canberra, making it ready for introduction into Federal Parliament.

“The government is expected to introduce the legislation in this session of parliament,” McClelland’s spokesperson, Adam Sims, told SX.

The 200-page omnibus legislation excludes the superannuation, family law and evidence laws that have been examined in separate senate inquiries.

However, gay activist John Challis told SX that he expects that the Opposition will delay the introduction of the bill by sending it to a senate committee like they did with the Same-Sex Relationships (Equal Treatment in Commonwealth Laws – Superannuation) Bill 2008. Challis is the convenor of Comsuper Action Committee, a lobby group that has been pushing for equal rights in superannuation.

“I presume that they will want to make sure that the terminology in both of the bills is the same, so it’s just dragging on longer,” he said.

Challis noted that the Opposition in the Senate has been “deliberately obstructionist” in making sure that the super bill only goes ahead once the omnibus bill has been introduced. The inquiry report on the super bill is set to emerge by September 30.

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