Southern Australia Premier to apologise after British man’s same-sex marriage not recognised on death certificate

David Bulmer-Rizzi was killed last weekend when he fell down a set of stairs and cracked his skull while on his honeymoon in South Australia.

Since South Australia does not recognise same-sex marriage, his widower Marco Bulmer-Rizzi, was told the death certificate would read “never married”.

Marco was also told he would not be recognised as next of kin, and that funeral arrangements would be made by David’s father Nigel Bulmer.

Speaking to BuzzFeed, Marco said “I’m nothing”.

“When the funeral director came that’s when I was told that because Australia doesn’t recognise same-sex marriage, it [the death certificate] will say ‘never married.

“I asked at that point whether it was possible to say nothing [about his marital status], and I was told, ‘No, that’s not one of the drop down options on the computer.”

The couple, who lived in Sunderland, England, got married in June 2015, and travelled to Australia in December for their honeymoon. The British high commissioner’s office in Canberra, said the situation was “very distressing”, and that the office would look into it.

Bulmer-Rizzi was told, “legislation differs from state to state … and as such when registering death the local authority cannot state the deceased as married”.

Bulmer-Rizzi wrote to David Cameron and the Foreign Office, calling on Britain to defend its equality laws abroad.

“I understand they can’t change Australian law, but I’m not asking them to. I’m asking my own country to stand by its own laws. If the British government is aware that other countries do not recognise same-sex marriage they should try to defend what their law says.”

Premier of Southern Australia, Jay Weatherill says he will apologise to the family.

Mr Weatherill told the ABC he wanted to offer a personal apology to David Bulmer-Rizzi’s family.

“It is another example of how senseless discrimination of sexual orientation can cause pain and hurt,” Mr Weatherill said.