ACT Labor for marriage equality

ACT Labor for marriage equality

The ACT Territory Branch of the Australian Labor Party has voted in favour of marriage equality, with the motion passing on voices.

Just before 2.30 pm, ACT Deputy Chief Minister Andrew Barr tweeted, “Thank you to the ACT Branch for their overwhelming support of marriage equality.”

“Very proud of my Party today.”

Prior to the conference Barr told media he was expecting the most emphatic vote on same-sex marriage at an ALP conference.

Of the level of support at the conference he tweeted, “there were a few voices of dissent but more than 90 percent in favour.”

Barr welcomed the strong support from the ACT Branch, acknowledging its long‐standing record of support for fairness, equality and human rights.

“Marriage equality is about giving every Australian citizen the same rights. At the moment gay and lesbian people have lesser rights. ACT Labor members have recognised this unfairness and they have voted for change,”  Barr said.
Barr noted that ACT Branch members had rejected a civil union scheme because it would not achieve equality for GLBTI people and would continue to see us as second‐class citizens.

Barr, who is in a civil partnership with his long term partner Anthony, was the same day elected to be an ACT Labor delegate to the ALP National Conference

Barr has pledged to champion the issue there.

The vote was preceded by around thirty minutes of debate.

At around 2.25pm ACT Chief Minister Katy Gallagher, herself a supporter of marriage equality tweeted, “Great debate underway on marriage equality at ACT ALP conference underway. Wonderful speeches in favour of reform.”

Labor Senator for the ACT, Kate Lundy tweeted, “I am proud to support the motion supporting Marriage Equality at our Annual Conference,” following the vote.

The motion read, “Conference calls on the ALP National Conference to amend the platform to support the legal right of all adult couples in Australia to be married if they so choose, and for that marriage to be recognised and registered by law in Australia, regardless of sexual orientation, or gender, of the parties to the marriage.”

“Conference acknowledges that civil unions of same sex couples do not deliver the same legal security and social recognition as marriage and that a relationship recognition scheme that is separate from marriage would continue to make members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer community second class citizens.

“Conference calls upon the ALP National Conference to reject any motion to adopt a civil union scheme as a substitution for the rights of all adult couples, irrespective of sexual orientation or gender identity, to access marriage.

“Conference calls for any parliamentary vote on same sex marriage to be taken as a binding vote for members of the federal parliamentary party, and that there not be a conscience vote on this issue.”

The vote by ACT Labor means that every state and territory branch of the Labor Party save NSW, and its Women’s Conference has voted in favour of same-sex marriage, while the NSW branch voted to refer the issue to the party’s national conference in December.

The vote by ACT Labor comes three weeks before Federal MPs will report back to the parliament on their consultations with constituents on the issue.

The ACT Labor conference also passed a motion calling for the abolition of the national School Chaplaincy program.

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13 responses to “ACT Labor for marriage equality”

  1. I find facts very short with you Oliver, lots of homophobia in your post, but few facts. Your agenda is a hate filled one, that is for sure. From abusing the “Gay Community” to supporting sacking people on the basis of their sexuality, your offer the pathology of a sociopath.

  2. When Joe De Bruyn, head of the powerful SDA Union, who controls the Prime Ministers Numbers, rampages against the Civil Rights of people in the name of the Catholic Church almighty, we have to have to reflect on a Labor Party that has become corrupt and broken and all to Latin Mass for my liking.

    It is not just equality in Marriage that Joe shouts against, and let’s face it, not all people support equality straight or gay, One Nation members tend to think there are still to many Chinese, there are many rights Joe throffs at the mouth about in the name of the Catholic Church, from IVF to Same-Sex parenting rights, to the Equal Opportunity Act. Joe has no problem towing the Vatican line that our existence is not natural.

    http://search.news.com.au/search/De+Bruyn/50/?us=ndmfoxsports&sid=5001021&as=FOXS&ac=search&r=seealso

  3. Well said Dave.

    My friends and I will also vote Green.

    Oh for the great days of Australia in the 50, 60, and 70’s.

    What a wonderful country it was then. Now it has been trashed, it’s blood contaminated by trash.

  4. Dave, you cease to amaze me. Nowhere in the article was the word “catholic” mentioned yet you still had to put in your “usual”. 1500 priests that operate the catholic churches? where do you get that figure from?

  5. The winds of change are blowing. The challenge will be for Federal Labor to push aside the Ultra Right Catholic SDA Union, and their millions, and listen to ordinary rank and file members.

    There would be more Gay Dad’s and Mum’s in Australia then those that operate this Catholic Union. There would be more children of Gay Mum’s and Dad’s then make up the 1500 Priest that operate the Catholic Churches.

    I will continue voting Green, and planning my marriage in New York while Federal Labor refers just one right to Marry, to a Federal Conference. We still have a situation where we are excluded from the Federal Equal Opportunity Act, and in many government funded jobs we can be sacked. Our existence should never be treated as a crime in any employment or access to government funded services.

    There are people working hard for change within the Labor Party, but I am only able to judge it by the outcomes of its policies. When my people, when my community, is valued just as much as the next person on the street, and are afforded the same legal protections as the next person on the street, then I might consider not voting Green, but until that day comes, I will not have faith dashed again and again by a party who does not fully accept me, and puts laws of oppression and infringements in place based on my sexuality.

    I had to ask, how many years would the Liberal and Labor party take before they gave us full equality before the law, and I think it will be decades. You would think the Federal Equal Opportunity Act, would be easier then the right of Marriage to pass, but both major parties have no policy to change this either.

  6. But I will not hold my breath. Gillard will be spooked by the loss of the outer suburban blue collar constituency she needs to retain for re-election

    The push and pulls factors of the two VERY DIFFERENT CONSTITUENCIES

    University Educated Left & Blue Collar working Class

    Only if this Post Whitlam Alliance is maintained does the ALP have any chance of winning elections at any level in the future.

  7. It’s sad that the NSW Catholic Right along side Catholic Conservative Union leadership the SDA voted to postpone NSW branch vote until Federal Conference in December

    The ALP should honour its rank and file and vote FOR MARRIAGE EQUALITY in December

  8. The vote by ACT Labor means that every state and territory branch of the Labor Party save NSW, and its Women’s Conference has voted in favour of same-sex marriage, while the NSW branch voted to refer the issue to the party’s national conference in December.”

    We really need to up the pressure between now and that conference. This is crunch time.