To the Honourable the President and Members of the Senate in Parliament assembled:

Noting the following:

- that marriage is currently defined in the Marriage Act (1961) as being `... the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life,' each element of which is essential to the integrity of marriage and each of which was inserted into the Marriage Act on a bipartisan basis in 2004; that marriage is one of the great institutions on which our society is built;

- that marriage provides for a stable family and is the umbrella under which Clerk of the Senate children are nurtured and grow; and

- that marriage is worthy of protection and support;

We, the undersigned petitioners, call on the Senate to support the definition of marriage as currently contained within the Marriage Act (1961)

by Senator Parry (from 39 signatures).