Protesters to rally outside Labor HQ
Marriage equality advocates will rally outside the Victoria headquarters of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) tomorrow.
Equal Love Victoria said the protest action aims to pressure the ALP before its December conference.
Equal Love Victoria convener Ali Hogg said the group strongly rejects Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s decision to allow Labor MPs a conscience vote on the issue and is calling on the Party to end its ban on same-sex marriage.
“It’s an absolute disgrace that Gillard is calling for a conscience vote to be the result of the ALP conference,” Hogg said.
“It is a slap in the face and a betrayal of equal rights supporters who thought she may have a progressive bone left in her body.
“Gillard’s continued discrimination is only going to make us more determined to keep up the pressure on the ALP and demand they grant us our rights no ifs or buts.”
Gillard today announced in an opinion piece published in Fairfax that she would allow a conscience vote on the issue and reiterated her opposition to changing the Marriage Act.
A Nielsen poll, published in today’s Age newspaper, showed 62 percent of voters support marriage equality, up from 57 percent in 2010.
The poll also showed 71 percent of Labor voters, 86 percent of Greens voters and 50 percent of Coalition voters support legalising gay marriage.
“It is fantastic to see such great support for marriage equality in this country but at the same time it’s infuriating that it falls on deaf ears,” Hogg said.
“The ALP must listen to the community, including those within their own party, and commit to binding policy in support of full marriage equality at the National Conference.”
Protesters will gather on Wednesday, November 16 at 12.30pm, 360 King St, West Melbourne.
For information, click HERE
Sadly, this protest is a bit… misguided. Protesting outside the Victorian ALP Office where they’ve called on the National ALP to change their policy twice at State Conferences probably isn’t going to be helpful. Equal Love should be protesting directly to the Right members of parliament instead – that would do more for the cause. Maybe encouraging people to call their local Right politicians and applying pressure that way would be helpful too. Protesting to a receptionist and some administration office workers is not going to be helpful.
@Rob Sorry to say Rob, the House of Reps ain’t that easy!
The conservatives have 73. The ALP plus Green have 73.
Of the 4 Independents, Katter, Windsor and Oakshott do not support same-sex marriage. Wilkie has not committed.
It’s one reason why I support a conscience vote. It increases the chances of getting change.
@Anthony .. what do you mean Labor don’t have the numbers to get a bill through Parliament on same-sex marriage?
They certainly control the Senate, with the help of the Greens; and they would need only the support of one independent in the House of Reps to get a bill through in that chamber.
People like Ali Hog need to realise that instead of constantly criticizing Julia Gillard they should start pressuring the moderates with in the Liberal Party to force a concience vote on there part..
It’s all well and good to say Labor should have a firm policy on the issue but the reality is they don’t have the numbers in Parliament to get the vote through if there was blanket support and a bill introduced in this term..
In anycase Labor is gone in the next election so will Hog and her cohorts start pressuing Abbott etc – me thinks not cause they have an ideological agenda which is based on the far left.
Poor Julia Gillard will be pushing to get 8,000 new paying ALP members.
I don’t think so!