Overview

• The Legislative Council voted down the government’s Registration of Same-Sex Partnerships Bill, the first defeat of a government bill since the electoral overhaul.
• The proposal would have let couples with overseas-registered unions record their partnerships locally and obtain limited rights in medical decisions and after-death arrangements.
• Pro-establishment lawmakers argued the measure would erode the city’s one-man-one-woman marriage system, warning it would open a Pandora’s box.
• Officials said about 80% of roughly 10,800 public submissions opposed the bill, while advocates highlighted templated responses and pointed to 2023 polling showing about 60% support for marriage equality.
• Next steps are unclear, but the court mandate remains in effect, with rights groups urging a contingency plan and noting a separate ruling this week recognizing a lesbian couple’s parental status.