GetUp! pushing marriage

Progressive political lobby group GetUp! will run a nationwide television advertising campaign in support of marriage equality in partnership with Australian Marriage Equality (AME) and other groups.

The move was announced during a story on PFLAG spokeswoman Shelley Argent’s nomination for Senior Australian of the Year on Ten News.

“I … want my gay son to have the same rights and privileges that his straight brother takes for granted,” Argent, who was the face of a national marriage equality television advertising campaign last year, told Ten.

“I think it’s something that’s going to come, hopefully, within the next year or two. People fear what they don’t understand.”
GetUp! communications director, Sam McLean, told the Star Observer the television commercial would be ready in a matter of days.

“We’ve completed the shoot and the ad is being edited as we speak,” McLean said.

“We’re hoping to be able to show the final product to GetUp! members in early February, to raise money and launch the ads around Valentine’s Day — a perfect time to celebrate the importance of equal love.

“As with all our television campaigns, the more money we raise, the more the ads will be broadcast.

“The great thing about GetUp!’s funding model is that we first find a way to make a difference and if GetUp members like it, they support it with donations. That way we know we’re only spending money on campaigns GetUp! members support. 

“So if GetUp! members like the ad we could see it blanketed across the country.”

AME national convenor Alex Greenwich told the Star Observer the advertising campaign was not the only way that GetUp! members would be enlisted to support same-sex marriage.

“GetUp! members and the wider GLBTI community will be engaged by GetUp! and AME to take action, and that will be things from donating to get this ad on television through to writing to your MP, through to making a meeting request with your MP through the AME webform,” Greenwich said.

“GetUp! had great success with [federal Greens MP] Adam Bandt’s motion in getting their membership to send through something like 12,000 letters to MPs in support of his motion, so they have a very powerful voice and having their support is going to make a huge difference to the campaign.”

GetUp! has a membership base of over 400,000 Australians and is free to join, with members opting in to the campaigns they support and opting out of those they do not.

info: Visit www.Getup.org.au and www.australianmarriageequality.com