Civil Unions Bill debate gets to the nitty-gritty

MPs will get down to the nitty-gritty of the Civil Union Bill tonight and tomorrow under urgency, in a debate that is unlikely to be as restrained as it was last week.

The committee stages will see vehement opposition to two amendments being proposed, one on the grounds that it will "wreck" the bill.

Promoted by Epsom MP Richard Worth, it effectively takes the sex out of "civil union" by turning it into a legal relationship between two people of any sort - including, for example, sisters or friends.

Mr Worth believes the bill, as it is, is gay marriage in drag and that extending it to non-intimate relationships would negate that.

The bill's sponsoring minister, David Benson-Pope, agrees that it would nullify the bill and said the amendment appeared to be a strategy to wreck it.

He said the move was not original and had been used recently in the British House of Commons when a "junior Tory MP" had tried to wreck similar legislation.

Mr Worth was last night unsure of how much support he had, but the amendment is unlikely to pass, given the second reading vote last week of 65 to 55. To pass it would take five MPs to switch their support from the bill.

Prime Minister Helen Clark said the issues in Mr Worth's amendment could be considered in another forum, but not in the bill.

"It was certainly roundly rejected in the House of Commons and I would think that those who have made up their minds to vote for this bill have made up their minds to vote for it pretty much as it is."

The Civil Union Bill was about enabling people in an intimate relationship to make a commitment to the relationship "and I personally believe we should be encouraging people to make longer term commitments to each other."

She did not accept the argument that the Civil Union Bill was gay marriage because the Marriage Act still discriminated against gay couples by not allowing same-sex couples to marry.

She did not believe she would see gay marriage in New Zealand in the short to medium term.

Helen Clark said she did not believe a call from the pulpit by Catholic Bishops to consider MPs' votes on the Civil Union Bill when voting at the next election would sway how people voted.

"When people come to vote they weigh up a lot of things and upper most in their mind will be the well-being of their family and household, levels of unemployment and are living standards going up?

"I don't think this issue is going to be top of the mind."

New Zealand First MP Brian Donnelly is promoting an amendment that would put the Civil Union legislation to a binding public referendum next election, but only those opposing the bill are likely to support it.

Helen Clark said she had never believed in Government by referendum. "You are elected to make decisions and in my view referenda should be very much the exception, not the rule."

FOR AND AGAINST

National MP Richard Worth says his amendment would turn civil unions into civil relationships, a legal relationship between any two people, including sisters or friends.

Sponsoring minister David Benson-Pope says the proposal would nullify the bill and appeared to be a strategy to scuttle it.