|
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) - Conservative Prime Minister John Howard's federal government has invoked special powers to invalidate a territory's law that had been the first in Australia giving legal recognition to same-sex relationships.
The Australian Capital Territory, which includes the national capital Canberra, last month became the first of Australia's six states and two territories to legally recognize gay and lesbian relationships.
The new law established a domestic relationship — separate to marriage — under which same-sex couples were to be given the same rights as heterosexual partnerships.
|