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The Federal Government’s reluctance to embrace same-sex marriage could be costing the Australian economy over $700 million. Using a formula developed by economists in the United States, Australian Marriage Equality (AME) has multiplied the average cost of weddings in Australia with the percentage of Australia's same-sex couples who would marry if they had the choice. AME reports there are at least 50,000 same-sex couples and a recent national study showed at least 53 per cent of these couples would marry if they could. AME spokesperson Alex Greenwich said conservative figures indicate the loss to the Australian economy is around $742 million. “The Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2007 calculated the average cost of a wedding at $28,000 – although recent studies show the cost as high as $49,000.” “On top of this there would be spending on honeymoons and spending by overseas visitors who would come to Australia to marry," Greenwich said. Greenwich added that a portion of the $742 million lost to the Australian economy is also made up of fees and charges gathered by state and territory governments for registering marriages, conducting ceremonies and issuing certificates. Instead of celebrating vows in Australia, Glenn and Ashley Anderson-Buick moved their wedding spend overseas: “We would have loved to have had our wedding in Sydney, but the Australian Government bans same-sex marriage, so we held a beautiful wedding ceremony in Toronto.”
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