The South Australian government has issued an interim death certificate for a Briton who died while on honeymoon in Adelaide.
David Bulmer-Rizzi died in Adelaide in January while in Australia on honeymoon, but because South Australia does not recognise same-sex marriages from overseas, his widower, Marco Bulmer-Rizzi, was told his death certificate would state he had never married.
Bulmer-Rizzi also experienced resistance from police and a funeral director in being recognised as David’s next-of-kin.
The South Australian government has now confirmed it cancelled the death certificate that was going to describe David Bulmer-Rizzi as ‘never married’ and issued an interim document that did not list cause of death.
A spokesman for premier Jay Weatherill clarified that a final certificate would be issued after a coronial inquiry.
Weatherill gave a personal guarantee in January that Bulmer-Rizzi’s death certificate would be reissued with the correct status.
The British High Commission made provision to issue a consular death registration – not a death certificate – for David in January, but Marco Bulmer-Rizzi told Guardian Australia from England he had not yet finalised the necessary application.
- This story was amended on 9 February 2016 to reflect new information received from the office of the South Australian premier
