Voters say ‘no’ to marriage

Voters say ‘no’ to marriage

Residents of the federal seat of Wills, taking in the Victorian suburbs of Brunswick, Pascoe Vale, Coburg and Fawkner, have indicated they are against allowing same-sex marriage in Australia.

Wills Labor MP Kelvin Thomson released the results of his same-sex marriage survey last month which showed a low level of participation in the area, with most agreeing they don’t want to see Australia’s Marriage Act changed.

“The survey shows a clear majority of respondents against changing the definition of marriage,” Thomson said.

Thompson said of more than 100,000 voters polled in Feburary, 863 residents responded, with 523 responses opposed to same-sex marriage and 340 in favour.

Thomson conducted the survey following a motion in federal Parliament by Greens Melbourne MP Adam Bandt last year calling for MPs to canvass their constituents on the issue.

“The fact that fewer than 1 percent of voters responded suggests that, although this issue matters a great deal to some of my constituents, for most of Wills’ residents it is not a high priority issue.”

Thomson said the question was raised in his February 2011 Wills Electorate Report which voters received in the mail.

Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby convenor Sarah Rogan said the result was disappointing but doubted the numbers were “an accurate portrayal” of the electorate’s view on the issue.

“It’s a bit of a wake-up call to the community that any time we have an opportunity to provide feedback we really need to do that,” Rogan told the Star Observer.

Rogan urged same-sex marriage advocates to continue to make their voices heard.

“If the federal MPs have been told to consult, that’s an open opportunity for us to let them know what we think of it, so we should grab it with both hands and run with it,” she said.

“Wills is a very diverse electorate and I think there would be more people in the community who do support equal marriage and now is the time to let your MP know that.”

In Victorian politics, five Labor MPs in inner city seats including Albert Park MP Martin Foley, Brunswick MP Jane Garrett, Melbourne MP Bronwyn Pike, Northcote MP Fiona Richardson and Richmond’s Richard Wynne are currently polling their constituents on gay marriage and other issues affecting the GLBTI community.

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6 responses to “Voters say ‘no’ to marriage”

  1. No one with any idea about surveys would conclude anything from these results other than the fact that the vast majority of Moreland residents don’t read Kelvin Thomson’s little flyer. This is a just a lame attempt to avoid having to showing just a small amount of backbone.

    The Member for Wills still has not issued a statement as to what his position on same-sex marriage.

  2. I am worried about how Labour is positioning themselves to knife this issue without getting any blood on their hands. We need to lift our game.

    The constitutaion of Australia is supposed to ensure secular law. Yet – at its root opposition to equall rights is comming from religious, mostly christian, organisations.

    State marriage should be, in fact it is, a secular right. Yet the legislation has been hijacked by religion. I regard this as a breech of the constitution.

    I wonder if we should shift from terms like gay marrage, and same sex marrage, and start demanding SECULAR MARRIAGE. It would be next to impossible for organised religion to fight against that without looking like a complete bunch of fanatics.

  3. Both my partner and I live in the area. We are both well read on local issues, yet neither of us can remember, for example a header in the local papers (the Leader being prominent). Given the return and the aforementioned I have serious doubts about the validity of this survey. Kelven has expressed homophobia in the past…

  4. Well I live in this area and there are allot of Muslims and Christians in this area. Results are not surprising what so ever.

  5. So Labor thinks the only effort worth giving for Equality, is a Junk Mail flyer that fewer than 1% of the population reads.
    There was once fierce debate in Australia and within Labor on the introduction of a new health system. You would have a special number, and be able to see your doctor for free. This was called Medicare. Politicians did not need to send out Junk Mail. They argued the case, and did what was right. It was decided that people should have equality when they are sick. Money should not be a barrier to see a Doctor.

    The current Federal Labor Party would never introduce Medicare, they simply lack the courage to argue the case. Women would never have the right to vote, and we would still have a ban on inter-racial marriage as this is what many Churches wanted at the time. The recent internal report on Labor said they are chasing shadows, chasing focus groups, as they have no heart. I have to agree.

    Take for instance the rubbish of the survey. We are being asked to accept a survey that was sent out, that was not independent, and had the local member and the Prime Minister both arguing against equality and demonizing GLBTI people telling them to look up the lessons in the Bible. Labor has lost the plot if they think this is an approach to policy they should adopt. Even Malcolm Turnbull got a survey back that he said a majority said “Yes” to equality, but that did not make a difference to his opposition against equality. So the whole survey thing is an excuse not to govern for all Australians, to find the results people want. In Malcolm’s case it is to throw an axe at Tony Abbott, for the only purpose of his own leadership aspirations, in the seat of Wills, it is to show support for the Prime Minister from a local MP greedy to get a promotion from the Catholic SDA Union, who controls Labor on everything, not the bloody real members who put their bloody sweat and tears into trying to make Australia a Fair Go.