The Australian government has officially rejected calls for Civil Union legislation, but has confirmed it intends to support same-sex families through anti-discrimination initiatives.

The Sydney Star-Observer reports that the Rudd government equates civil unions with same-sex marriage equality, which it states goes against "the widely held view in the community that marriage is between a man and a woman".

The government will instead encourage Australian States to implement a relationship register system, saying that "One step towards eliminating discrimination against same-sex couples is for their relationships to be legally recognised."

Australian Marriage Equality advocates spokesman Peter Furness has responded saying the Government's view of same-sex unions was out of step with public opinion.

"Opinion polls consistently show that a majority of Australians support same-sex marriage, making a nonsense of the Government's stated belief that its policy 'reflects a widely held view in the community'," he explained.

"The Rudd government has shown that its vision for the future is blinkered by prejudices from the past."