{{Short description|Recognized partnership alternative to marriage}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}} A '''relationship register''' is an alternative to marriage that provides legal proof of a relationship. This may be useful in issues relating to tax, retirement accounts, government payments, immigration or medical emergencies. Most states and territories in Australia provide a relationship register,<ref name="abs">{{cite web|title=The Changing Nature of Marriage in Australia|url=http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/3310.0Feature%20Article12015?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=3310.0&issue=2015&num=&view=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170221025203/http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/3310.0Feature%20Article12015?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=3310.0&issue=2015&num=&view=|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 February 2017|website=Australian Bureau of Statistics|accessdate=13 March 2017|date=30 November 2016}}</ref> and similar registers exist in other jurisdictions, such as the Canadian province of Manitoba.<ref> {{cite web|url=http://web2.gov.mb.ca/cca/vital/Common-law.html|title=Registering or dissolving a common-law relationship...|accessdate=13 March 2017|publisher=Vital Statistics Agency, Division of Consumer and Corporate Affairs, Manitoba Department of Finance|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070629183813/http://web2.gov.mb.ca/cca/vital/Common-law.html|archivedate=29 June 2007}}</ref>
==Effect on marriage statistics== Relationships recorded in these registers are not included in Australian marriage statistics, which the Australian Bureau of Statistics identified as a possible data anomaly. While marriage rates have declined, the recently introduced relationship registers have grown in use.<ref name="abs" /> Although some couples have registered relationships because they are prohibited from marrying under the federal Marriage Act 1961 as amended by the Marriage Amendment Act 2004,<ref>{{cite web|title=Fact file: High Court decision on ACT same-sex marriage laws|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-12-13/fact-file-high-court-decision-on-act-same-sex-marriage/5155754|website=ABC News|accessdate=13 March 2017|language=en-AU|date=13 December 2013}}</ref> other couples have registered as an alternative to marriage, thus reducing the marriage rate.<ref name="abs" />
==References== {{reflist}}
Category:Interpersonal relationships Category:Marriage, unions and partnerships in Australia