Launch of ‘We’re Waiting’ sees massive support

NSW Parliament House was recently the scene for a fundraising launch of Australian Marriage Equality’s latest campaign to spread the message of marriage equality to regional Australia.

Held last Tuesday, just under $50,000 was raised at the We’re Waiting event that featured former High Court judge Michael Kirby and New Zealand MP Louisa Wall as guest speakers. The fundraiser was the first time an official LGBTI event has been held inside Parliament House during the Mardi Gras season.

A dinner for two in Melbourne with comedian Magda Szubanski was the night’s top item, with the prize being eventually auctioned off for just under $11,000. Other auctioned items included artwork by notable photographic artist William Yang. About 120 guests were in attendance.

Wall – who is the MP responsible for New Zealand’s successful same-sex marriage bill – had also brought along her partner who was the person who actually worded the bill.

“Marriage quality is about democracy,” she said.

“For those of you who believe in democracy, who want to engage your communities, I would encourage you to ask for a free vote.”

AME Director of Strategic Engagement Peter Urmson told the Star Observer the fundraiser was the first of a string of them to help the lobby group target Liberal MPs in regional areas of the country and their constituents.

Urmson also paid tribute to his partner, Brenden Spencer, and the volunteer team at AME NSW for helping develop and execute the launch of the We’re Waiting campaign that has so far been very successful.

“We’re encouraging people to engage in the campaign by uploading photos and posting comments,” he said.

“So far, we’ve had 500 couples who have participated and we’ve had over a million views on Facebook.”

INFO: www.werewaiting.org