FAQs
Can I come to Tasmania to register with my partner?
Partners in a registered relationship must be Tasmanian residents. That usually means living here for six months or more.
Will registration provide me with a solid foundation to start a family?
Mixed and same-sex couples can only access parenting rights in areas like adoption and presumption of parenting if they are registered. Registration gives these couples and their children legal security and peace-of-mind by providing them with family rights and and responsibilities traditionally associated with marriage.
Is registration like getting married?
Insofar as registration certifies the existence of a relationship, gives partners virtually the same rights as married spouses, and gives relationships official recognition and affirmation, registration is like marriage.
But insofar as there is no official ceremony, and it is open to partners in non-married like relationships, registration is not marriage, and seeks to move beyond traditional concepts of matrimony altogether by replacing old-fashioned words like "husband" and "wife" and "marriage" with new up-to-date terms like "significant" and "caring partner" and "Deed of Relationship".
If my partner and I register can we access federal benefits and entitlements in areas like superannuation, tax, Medicare and immigration?
Yes. The Federal Government recognises state deeds of relationship as proof of the existence of a de facto relationship in federal law. This provides partners in state deeds of relationship with immediate and guaranteed access to all the rights and entitlements available to de facto partners at a federal level.
One exception is immigration. It is possible for foreign same-sex partners of Australians to apply for permanent residency on the basis of their interdependent relationship. Meanwhile, a registered relationship may provide evidence of commitment in a relationship when immigration officials come to assess an application for residency on the basis of interdependency.
Do I have any rights if I don't register?
Yes. All mixed-sex, same-sex and caring couples have legal rights even if they are not registered. However registration makes it easier and quicker to access these rights.
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