New laws for lesbian parents in SA

New laws to make it easier for lesbian parents to be included on a child's birth certificate have passed the upper house of the South Australian parliament.

The Greens bill dispenses with previous requirements for the parents to prove they lived together for three years before conception of the child if they both want to be listed on the birth certificate.

Other states don't have the three-year rule, which Greens MP Tammy Franks says has proved a barrier to many lesbian couples.

There is also no similar requirement in SA for two men who father a child with a surrogate to prove they have lived together for three years.

The bill will now go before parliament's lower house for approval.