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Marriage will be an election issue: Greens

By on March 14, 2013

web-Adam-Bandt21The Greens are pushing gay marriage as an issue for this year’s federal election, reigniting debate in Parliament as of next Monday.

Greens MP and deputy leader Adam Bandt has secured debating time in the House of Representatives on his marriage equality bill for next monday, Fairfax Media reports.

Australian Marriage Equality (AME) advocates have been campaigning to make gay marriage an election issue since two same-sex marriage bills were voted down in Parliament last September.

”Marriage equality will now be on the election agenda,” Bandt said.

He said marriage equality support had swept across the world, highlighting US President Barack Obama’s shock announcement in support of gay marriage last year.

The French, British and New Zealand parliaments also look likely to pass gay marriage legislation this year.

Bandt’s bill would remove references to marriage explicitly being between a man and woman and include protections for churches who refused to marry same-sex couples.

The Greens also want to test Opposition Leader Tony Abbott’s pledge made on 60 Minutes last Sunday that he separated his Christian faith from policy decisions.

“Allowing Coalition MPs a conscience vote is the first test of Tony Abbott’s claim that he won’t let his religious beliefs influence politics,” Bandt said.

”With the election approaching, every MP’s support for marriage equality is going to be put to the electoral test.”

In his 60 Minutes interview, Abbott said: ”Faith is important to me. It’s important to millions of Australians. It helps to shape who I am. It helps to shape my values. But it must never, never dictate my politics.”

AME national director Rodney Croome welcomed the renewed efforts from the Greens and also called on Abbott to allow a conscience vote on the issue.
“The majority of Australians who support marriage equality want the Coalition to allow a conscience vote, and a vote on this bill before the election gives the Coalition another chance to make this commitment,” he said.
Ahead of the next parliamentary debate, same-sex parents and their adult children will lobby federal MPs for the first time.
“Children raised by same-sex couples have an important story to tell about how they and their families would have benefited if their parents had had the option of marriage,” Croome said.
“Children of same-sex couples are best placed to explode one of the key objections to marriage equality, that gay people can’t or shouldn’t raise children.”

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