High Court decides on marriage postal survey; Australia celebrates Threatened Species Day

The government has welcomed the High Court of Australia’s decision to confirm the validity of the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey. It means the survey will proceed as planned, and all Aussies eligible to vote are encouraged to have their say. Meanwhile, the government announced new grants from the Threatened Species Recovery Fund.

The ABS is scheduled to start sending survey forms from September 12 onwards. Aussies are advised to return their completed survey forms as soon as possible.

“We have always been confident, that the process we adopted to deliver on our commitment, to give Australians a say on whether or not the law on marriage should be changed to allow same sex couples to marry, was consistent with all the relevant requirements,” a joint media release by Minister for Finance Mathias Cormann and Attorney-General for Australia George Brandis reads. The Australian Statistician is expected to declare the final result of the survey on November.

The press release states that the government intends to move fast with proposed legislation to provide for relevant additional safeguards to complement current legal protections. It also intends to support the fair and rightful conduct of the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey.

Threatened Species Day

Meanwhile, the government celebrated Threatened Species Day on Thursday by announcing 19 new grants from the Threatened Species Recovery Fund. It would assist some community groups in combating extinction.

"This Threatened Species Day, the Turnbull Government is proud to continue demonstrating our commitment to working closely with conservation and community groups, scientists and other governments to deliver the on ground actions required to save species," Minister for the Environment and Energy Josh Frydenberg said. He added that the celebration is a reminder of the wildlife that Australians need to protect, such as mallee emu-wrens, Whibley wattle and bandicoots and bilbies.

The Threatened Species Strategy is committed to protecting some of the nation’s most endangered animals and plants. Twenty birds, 20 mammals and 30 plants are targeted for recovery by 2020. The habitat improvements to support these species will serve as a protection for many more.

The government is also providing $250,000 to shield wild populations of magenta lilly pilly in the Great Lakes area, while $205,000 is allocated to back up efforts to protect populations of golden bandicoot and brush-tailed rabbit-rat in the Dambimangari and Uunguu Indigenous Protected Areas of Western Australia. New habitat for Australia's rarest cockatoo is also being funded.

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