Conscience vote on marriage motion

Conscience vote on marriage motion

Liberal, National and Labor MPs will all be given a conscience vote on NSW Greens MLC Cate Faehrmann’s motion directing federal politicians to legalise same sex marriage in what will be the first time that Coalition MPs will have a chance to vote on the issue.

The only other state to pass such a motion is Tasmania and Faehrmann’s motion uses an identical form of words to that motion.

The cross party conscience vote was announced by Faehrmann and Australian Marriage Equality (AME) national convenor at a press conference in the NSW Parliament today with PFLAG national spokeswoman Shelley Argent, Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras chairman Peter Urmson and US same-sex marriage researcher Lee Badgett.

“We are here to celebrate Mardi Gras, which is a time when the people of NSW, and indeed people from all across the world, come together in Sydney to celebrate equal love,” Faehrmann said.

“What the Greens will be doing in the coming weeks in the NSW Parliament is introducing a motion to urge the federal parliament to amend the Marriage Act. This is a call for the NSW Upper House to get behind the push for marriage equality. It has huge public support. The majority of people all across NSW and Australia support the push for marriage equality.

“Its time that the NSW Parliament also told the Australian Parliament that it wants it to amend the marriage act. This will happen at some stage over the coming weeks. We have a number of MPs from all parties supporting this motion and I look forward to the debate.”

Urmson welcomed the continued support from the NSW Government for the LGBTI community.

“We welcome the support that the O’Farrell Government has given Mardi Gras and we really look forward to his support in MPs having a conscience vote for Cate’s motion,” Urmson said.

Badgett has been meeting with MPs in the Parliament to explain the benefits to same-sex couples of being allowed to marry and the positive economic implications of legalising same-sex marriage and Greenwich told the Star Observer that he was aware of two coalition MPs who were keen to use Badgett’s points to lobby their colleagues.

“I’m here to tell members of parliament that allowing same-sex couples to marry and that doing so would be very good for same-sex couples and their families – that includes the sense of increased security, increased stability, both for their children and their wider families,” Badgett said.

“In addition to that there are ripple effects that would go on to include a large boost to the local economy and over all there have been no bad things that have come out of it in the ten countries and seven states in the US that have allowed same-sex couples to marry and we think that the same positive benefits would be true here in Australia as well.”

It is not yet known when the motion will come to a vote but it is expected in the next couple of weeks and in the meantime the Greens are urging supporters to contact their local members to urge them to support the motion.

The effort comes as the Tasmanian and South Australian Greens have both moved to try to have same-sex marriage recognised under state laws to put further pressure on the federal Government.

Contact details for NSW MPs are on Faehrmann’s website at www.catefaehrmann.org.

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5 responses to “Conscience vote on marriage motion”

  1. […] Last week’s announcement that both sides of politics will be getting a conscience vote on same-sex marriage in the NSW Parliament was more of the same ‘progress’. Reading the news I should try to be grateful that my ticket to the white wedding I’ve always dreamed of will now be decided by a slightly larger group of mostly rich straight white men than it would have been otherwise. […]

  2. Electoral surveys were a fraud in most cases as the pollies did not do a survey. When Malcolm Turnbull had a go at the surveys, and did a detailed study, he was one of the rare pollies, most pollies gave cheesy smiles and said “I know what their electorate thinks”. Turnbull found most of his electorate overwhelmingly supported marriage equality, but he then went onto say he does not. Poll after poll shows most of the public including Christians support marriage equality.

    The surveys simply showed most pollies were out of touch with their community, and represent the small vocal minority of Cardinal Pell and Jim Wallace of the Christian Lobby, instead of the majority of people who voted for them.

  3. Conscience votes have secured most of the major gay and lesbian reforms over the past 25 years, from legalisation in 1984 to the most recent same-sex adoption legislation of 2010.

    @Keith, recent electoral surveys by MP’s showed most respondents did not support same-sex marriage – no doubt another case of a noisy minority dominating the silent majoirty!

    http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/electoral-surveys-snub-gay-marriage/story-fn59niix-1226121562452

  4. Why are politicians allowed a conscience vote on any issue? The Parliamentary website quite clearly points out that they are elected officials voted into office to represent the people of their electorate.
    They do not have the right to a conscience vote. Their job is to ask the voters of their electorate how they want them to vote and do so accordingly. This would mean that the issue of same sex marriage would be passed almost unanimously by all parliamentarians at state and federal level.
    Time to stop asking for same sex marriage to be legalised and to start demanding it.

  5. Nice to know politicians are still debating whether gay people are human beings!