Advocates reject conscience vote

Advocates reject conscience vote

A report in The Australian newspaper today has prompted marriage equality advocates to urge the Australian Labor Party (ALP) to push ahead with changing the party’s position on same-sex marriage, rather than allowing MPs a conscience vote.

The Australian has reported ALP factional leaders are looking to strike a deal to shift the party’s approach to same-sex marriage, pushing for MPs to be allowed a conscience vote to avoid the issue becoming a major focus of its National Conference in December.

Australian Marriage Equality spokesman Peter Furness said the party should change its position after almost every state and territory Labor branch has voted in favour of reform.

“The party rank-and-file clearly want this discriminatory policy to be overturned and for traditional Labor and Australian values like equality and a fair go to be asserted,” Furness said.

“Subverting the wishes of the party’s rank and file with a backroom, pre-conference deal will open the Labor Party up to criticism of being undemocratic.

“If anti-equality MPs want to lobby the party for a conscience vote that is a matter for them, but it should be after the party has been allowed to show its overwhelming support for reform.”

Recent polling suggests a majority of Australians are in favour of allowing same-sex marriage.

MPs are due to report back to federal Parliament on Wednesday with the views of their electorate on the issue.

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10 responses to “Advocates reject conscience vote”

  1. Harry

    To call for the murder of people on the basis of their sexuality is simply out of step wtih the community straight or gay.

  2. We may be taken to wars without referendums but the only dictatorship type situation here is the bowing and scraping we do to another countries purpose. Unfortunately the members of the army who go to fight have already given their vote by acceding to the military authority of the service they are entering. However many do not relish the thought nor do they wish to die for a lost cause. Further albeit indirectly, a comparatively small war if one can call it that does not impact on most Australians.
    In the initiation of our government the idea behind having constituent elected representatives I.e. politicians was in the first place was for each locality to have a representative of their views in parliament. That has long since been diluted by the follow the party line principle or you won’t get endorsed. A form of Bribery or coercion perhaps. However people still have a right to have their say and to let the majority be heard on such a pretentious topic. Any other attempts in the past by either party to ignore this obligation doesn’t make it right to do so again. And yes there are extremists but the most vocal appear to be affiliated with the homosexual lobby who simply cannot seem to abide any criticism or alternative viewpoint. So to correct this situation we need a referendum to eliminate abuse from both sides and an outcome agreed to by the majority whatever that may be. It’s called democracy. And it will settle and eliminate all arguments, abusive threats and name calling of individuals and if the same sex marriage proponents win their point then it must surely add to their legitimacy and quell further
    obstruction. Neither side should fear it nor oppose it.

  3. Anthony,

    I have been as frustrated as you about Penny Wong wanting to tear my hair out.

    But I have grown to admire Penny Wong. She is of Chinese/Malaysian heritage in a parliament dominated by a culture of white conservative men. Penny is a Christian, goes to church on a regular basis, and gets lectured by her boss who is an Atheist, to look up the lessons in the bible. Penny has been standing up to the Prime Ministers Boss, the Conservative Catholic head of the SDA Union who has promised to bury her politically. Penny has taken insult after insult within the Labor Party and outside of it. She is now copping it about daring to have a child.

    It is easy for her to leave the party. Who could blame her if she did? But Penny is standing her ground and fighting for change to free us at great personal cost, and this has made her the subject of many a vitriolic tirade at times. Penny has guts, passion, and so does her partner who also has to put up with Penny being berated, dog whistled by the Liberal Party, and abuses coming from our community. If only all politicians had the same guts and determination as Penny Wong, Labor would rule for a long time.

    Penny is trying to save the Labor Party from itself. She it tyring to take it back to its successful roots- the once proud progressive party.

    I live in a country area, Penny is a beacon of light to many GLBTI groups. Even straight people have said to me they had no idea she was gay let alone having a baby. My partner of 10 years is of Chinese decent and is a Doctor who works in senior levels of health administration dealing with government, and politicians who are often homophobic, and cultures that go with it. We both understand it is not easy dealing with cultures in senior levels of government being openly gay, and of Chinese decent.

    But Penny is doing it in the media glare. Of course she could of come out about Marriage earlier, and I watched Q & A when she said the government line to the hurt of many, including myself. But Penny has come out on Marriage, and even parenting. She is the one now openly arguing for Civil Rights. I do not know why she did not come out earlier. It is easy for you and I to be out. Our partners will not always be the subject to a tirade of death threats from hate groups, we will not be stalked by a Christian nut job, and we will usually not get sacked.

    But spare a thought for Penny Wong. In the anti Marriage Rally in Canberra, Bob Katter, Barny the Banana, and a Labor MP, all stood shoulder to shoulder leading an angry mob calling us and in particular Penny Wong, “The Greatest Evil”. They tried to get people to kill Penny and her partner as what else do you do to an Evil worse then Hitler? You did not see Julia Gillard stand up for her senior Minister. Penny was left on her own as usual. Now Penny is a public symbol of Marriage and Parenting, spare a thought for her and her partner, as no doubt she is now also the target of some hater. But despite all this, she is not walking away, she is staying the course, and doing the tough job, and for all these things I admire her.

    I can rave on this site, write letters to the editor, call talkback radio and run facebook groups, even dance with my partner at country balls, but all that is nothing compared to the hard work of Penny Wong and her partner. I do not like some of Labor Policies, but that does not stop me from feeling empathy for people like Penny.

  4. Harry I see your point but I have a few concerns!

    Labor asked us to elect a Prime Minister , Mr Rudd. Then Union officials got rid of him without a vote and got the party to rubber stamp it.

    Since the last election, Tony Abbott is shouting for us to overthrow the government, calling them illegitimate, while clapping to rallies with coffins with the Prime Ministers name on it. Pushing for the Nanny State, a Dictatorship no less, is not in line with Liberal Values last I checked. But it is power at all cost, no matter who is killed in this political climate of fear. And I am not sure I want Abbott getting us killed over this.

    Given the Liberal Party in Victoria has been slashing hospital funding, I could think of a lot better ways to spend 100million dollars, especially given so many polls show not only the majority of Christians support Equality, but also the majority of the Australian population.

    We are taken to war many times over, with no referrendum and no person ever seems to ask for one, so I do not think it is needed on something so small as extending equal access to laws to all Australian Tax Payers.

    If politicians are being scared of not getting elected, then they need to change their policies.

    The push for equality is about allowing all Australians to live equally, no more and no less. I hardly think it is calling for the overthrow of a government, or the carpet bombing of cities in far away lands.

  5. I thought democracy was about independent voting that’s why independants have become so valued if we adopt the alternative then it becomes a closed multiple dictatorship where all extreme views of any group will hold sway. If we want to see the true support for such a change then we should give all electors a chance to have there say by holding a referendum at the next election. If those who favour its implementation believe it has overwhelming support then put it to the test.
    Straw Polls are rig possible and open to corruption.

  6. It is not a proper conscience vote if only half of the House (Labor) votes on conscience and the other half (the Coalition) toes a party line.

    Labor must quit taking shortcuts and bad excuses that err on the side of doing nothing, otherwise they risk pissing off absolutely everyone.

    Labor: have the internal policy debate, make a decision and stand by it.

  7. Those urging a conscience vote now should remember how it wasn’t offered in 2004 to supporters of same-sex marriage!

  8. I feel sorry for Penny Wong having to put with that lot!

    All this over marriage. I guess it will take another 60 years for Labor to include us in the Federal Equal Opportunity Act, if this is the fuss they create over Marriage.

    I will continue voting Green, a party with no issue about my sexuality while Labor has policies that lead to great cruelty for some in the community.