20 Aug 2004

Australian island bid to thwart gay marriage law

7:08 am on 20 August 2004

It's reported a group of Australian men are to colonise a formerly uninhabited island in the Coral Sea so they can perform gay marriages.

The Australian senate this week voted in favour of prohibiting same-sex unions.

The Sydney Star Observer newspaper reports that - in response - a group of gay men from Queensland have declared Cato Island independent from Australia.

The Gold Coast businessman Dale Anderson says they'll have gay marriages on the island.

Mr Anderson suggested to the newspaper his self-styled 'kingdom' will produce so-called 'camp postage stamps' and 'pink dollars'.

Cato is part of Australia's Coral Sea Islands Territory and is only accessible by boat.