Lesbian mothers are now recognised in the state of Tasmania, a move that means costly and arduous adoption processes are no longer necessary.

Legal recognition of lesbian parents was denied in 2003 when the law was originally tabled in Tasmanian parliament. Revisited last week, the law passed without objection in the upper house of state parliament.

“Rather than go through the costly process, the drawn-out process of applying for adoption and doing it that way,” Windermere MLC Ivan Dean told ABC Online, “they will now be able to make the application to the registrar and if they can satisfy the register of their significant relationship, then it will be a fairly easy process for them to be included,” he said.

The decision also comes after same-sex parents received a pat on the back from a US study that revealed same-sex parents are just as capable, maybe even more so, than their heterosexual counterparts.

Abbie E. Goldberg, professor at Clark University, Massachusetts says same-sex couples handle parenting different, and sometimes their approach is better. The study, Lesbian and Gay Parents and Their Children, says that gay families are often better at reaching out to extended family members for help and are more flexible with ideas around traditional gender roles, encouraging boys to pursue areas outside of what is seen as traditionally masculine, and likewise for girls.

Eilis Hughes and Felicity Marlowe, co-convenors of Rainbow Families Council in Victoria agree with the findings. “It backs up over 30 years of national and international research saying our kids are no different socially, emotionally or in terms of their cognitive development than their heterosexual-parented friends. This is also consistent with the personal experience of families involved in the Rainbow Families Council,” say the women.

Rainbow Families Council Annual General Meeting is held Sunday, November 15. 2pm – 4pm at Yarraville Seniors Centre, 48 Fehon Street, Yarraville VIC. Visit the Rainbow Families website for more info.