Marriage vote in 2012

Labor advocates for marriage equality have announced that a private members bill to reform the Marriage Act will be moved from within Labor ranks when Parliament resumes next year.

Port Adelaide MP Mark Butler (pictured) and Senator Doug Cameron announced that Throsby MP Stephen Jones would put forward a bill to legalise same-sex marriage and called on supporters of marriage equality to start lobbying Liberal and National Party politicians so that a conscience vote would pass on cross party support.

Earlier in the day delegates at the conference voted to amend the ALP platform to include support for marriage equality, and came close to requiring a binding vote on the issue by politicians.

A motion moved by Prime Minister Julia Gillard and seconded by Defence Minister Stephen Smith was narrowly passed 208 to 184.

The vote to add marriage equality to the platform was so overwhelming that it passed on voices alone.

Butler and Cameron made the announcement in front of the largest LGBTI rights rally the country has seen in years, with more than 12,000 people marching from Hyde Park to Darling Harbour where it was almost standing room only around the Sydney Conference and Exhibition Centre.

Following the conference the Greens announced that they will introduce their marriage equality bill, with Greens MP Adam Bandt indicating he will seek to have the bill co-sponsored by Labor, Coalition and other MPs from the cross benches.

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young will also move to have a vote on the issue in the Senate when Parliament resumes.

In related news a protest held by opponents of marriage equality in Martin Place was attended by less than a hundred people.