Civil Union Bill 'will not deliver expected changes'

Stephen Franks says the Civil Union Bill alone will not change anything. Picture / Fotopress

Couples expecting big changes as a result of the Civil Union Bill passing are in for a shock, according to the ACT party.

The bill is expected to pass into law next week.

However, ACT claims it will not mean much, as another crucial piece of legislation - the Relationships Bill - which was due to be passed at the same time has been delayed until next year.

The party's justice spokesman Stephen Franks said the passing of the Civil Union Bill would not change anything in law until the Relationships Bill is passed, as that is the bill that has substance.

He said it would come as a surprise to people who think they are voting for equal treatment for married couples, de facto couples and civil union partners.

Meanwhile, the MP behind the controversial bill is confident that it will pass into law. Select committee chairman Tim Barnett says that unlike the Prostitution Law Reform Bill last year, he feels more confident that he has the numbers for it to pass.

Some MPs are wavering after the vast majority of submissions to Parliament were opposed to the legislation.

Supporters of the legislation say it will give equal rights to same-sex couples, offer an alternative to marriage for heterosexual partners, and end discrimination.

Opponents claim it amounts to an immoral "gay marriage" law which devalues the traditional relationship between men and women.

New Zealand First MP Peter Brown, who thinks it could "undermine the fabric of society", is planning to propose an amendment during the bill's committee stage to force a referendum on it at next year's general election.

That could offer a way out for wavering MPs, and hold off a law change until after the election.

The bill has to pass its second reading, committee and third reading stages before becoming law.

The Government is expected to put Parliament into urgency next week for the committee stage, because it wants to pass it before Christmas.

If passed, it will come into force on April 26 next year.

A companion bill, the Relationships (Statutory References) Bill, is still stuck in the select committee. There are problems with its legal provisions surrounding property rights for people who enter a civil union arrangement.

- NEWSTALK ZB, NZPA