Marriage equality moves blocked in two states
The Government Whip in the Legislative Council, Greg Donnelly MLC, has blocked the progression of a Greens motion calling on the NSW Government to legislate for marriage equality under state law if the Federal Parliament fails to do so by 2012.
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s a result the motion cannot be heard until after the 2011 NSW election in March.
Donnelly is a former branch secretary of the right wing Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association and an outspoken voice against GLBT rights in the NSW Labor Party.
Greens MLC Cate Faehrmann sad it was unfortunate that some Labor MPs were still out of touch with the community on the issue of marriage equality.
“I personally know many MPs from all sides of politics that support removing discrimination, but it took just one Labor MP to throw yet another spanner in the works,” said Faehrmann.
“Marriage equality is a mainstream issue. There is a level of disbelief in the community that some people could be so opposed to giving all people the choice to marry whomever they love.
“Advice from constitutional law expert Professor George Williams indicates the states have the ability to enact marriage equality laws. If the bigger parties in Canberra let us down, then politicians at Macquarie Street should step up to the plate.
“The Greens will continue on with this campaign until all discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, sex and gender identity is removed.”
The Greens will move the motion again in the new Parliament in 2011.
In related news, a bill to legalise same-sex marriage under South Australian law has been delayed on a procedural point by Liberal MLC Rob Lucas and will now not be heard until Parliament resumes next year.
The bill is cosponsored by the SA Greens Tammy Franks and openly gay Labor MLC Ian Hunter.
Franks told the Star Observer there had been “a bit of a collusion” between more conservative members in the chamber to delay the bill on procedural grounds.
“As it was a co-sponsored bill it doesn’t necessarily conform to the regular rules, but normally we would have been granted leave by the chamber to go ahead and move into debate,” said Franks.
“They’ve stifled it for the moment but we’ll be back in February and we’ll both be moving our second reading speeches then.”
[…] to publicly pressure and threaten the Labor party on the issue. Further, it has been observed that their elected representatives have actively blocked motions in government that supported same-sex […]
What’s that old saying? Opinions are like ars*holes – everyone has one and some of them stink. Delete the hysterical troll. His posts are irrelevant, loony, and a waste of electrons.
Your online behaviour, greens are communists, is apalling. It’s OK to have an opinion. When that opinion, or the way it is stated, is offensive to others you should be blocked and deleted.
greens are communists and will bankrupt australia
Once again I suggest you take the editors advice.
good work dave- avoid any accountability and hide behind the disgraceful censorship of the editor- would hate to see the truth get in the way of a good promo of the greens.
heaven forbid anyone say anything against the greens
this site appears to be little more than a greens promotion and propaganda rag
why not do us all a favor and report on the real agenda of the greens?
Editor’s Note: At no point have your posts been censored and to suggest so is scurrilous and untrue. You have merely been asked to interact on the forum in a meaningful and respectful way.
greens are communists and will bankrupt australia
I suggest you take the editors advice.
well dave- since you know it all maybe you can tell me which Greens economic policy excites you the most?
I can assure you that I have never used the word “slutty” in this forum and you are welcome to point me to where I have
sounds to me that you are changing the argument to promote communism and bankrupt us all
the wonderful thing here is that even you can go to the library and read the communist manifesto and compare it with greens policy
greens are communists and will bankrupt australia
Yes you are a nut job saying all sorts of nasty things about us then denying it. And telling the editor to keep the debate to backslapping the Greens? Says it it all I guess.
yes i believe that the promotion of same sex marriage, euthanasia etc is targeted at gaining support for the greens with the disenfranchised.
the editor may want to keep the debate to backslapping the greens and
dave-
where and when have i ever used the word “sluts”, should be easy to find since you say I have used it “many times”. do you know for a fact that I am “nutty”?
do the research and tell e I am wrong – the wonderful part of this is that you can find out for yourself what the greens are
greens are communists and will bankrupt australia-
Is a nutty Christian who is against us having Same-Sex Marriage as he has said many times were are sluts etc. He is against the Greens on the basis they are advocating for our rights.
I agree Paul this is what I have being trying to say and may I add Federal law has legal and constitutional power over state law.
I say again Howard went out of his way to reinforce the marriage Act as being between a man and a woman, by doing this he attempted to stifle debate and in fact did so until the change of government even now the labour party does not have a hard and fast policy on gay marriage which allows the Greg Donnelly the freedom to vote the way he did wether you agree with him or not this is call democracy.
the greens are using the gay community to gather support for their communist agenda
Do Not Be Fooled
it is no use being married if your country is bankrupt by the Greens
do the research- don’t take my word for it – read the greens policies and then read the Communist Manifesto
DO NOT BE FOOLED INTO SUPPORTING THE GREENS WITH THEIR COMMUNIST AGENDA WHICH WILL TAKE AWAY RIGHTS AND BANKRUPT OUR COUNTRY
Editor’s Note: To greens are communists and will bankrupt australia, we request you start engaging the forum in a more meaningful way or not at all.
I say this time and time again – Read section 51 of the Australian constitution people!!!!
Brian, agree to most of that – but lets leave the state strategy if we fail Federally, it really is a last resort. And if we are to be putting pressure on, keep it focussed on a national debate.
The state by state approach is an interesting debate to be had. It keeps the issue alive over the next 12 months while we’re waiting for the federal ALP to get their act together.
However! Should any particular state actually pass such legislation, we would be doomed to another 6 years to wait to get back where we are now as it would give the Federal government the perfect out to say the state’s have the power to do it “we can’t”.
Alternatively, the passage of state legislation, may actually allow the issue to end up in the High Court and have enevitable situation of the High Court ruling about whether the consitution does actually allow the Federal Government to legislate for same-sex marriage OR does it only allow for the “original intent” which was man and woman.
Regardless, the state-by-state process is a high risk, high value approach. It could be the answers to our prays, but it could also be the noose with which we hang ourselves. I dare say it may be the latter :(
Make sure that Greg Donnelly’s position on this is well known to all GLBTIQ friends. He is Duty MLC for the electorates of Manly, Hornsby, Port Stephens and Clarence. Make sure his stand on this becomes his downfall.
Not surprising that Greg Donnelly is blocking the progression of the Greens motion. He is not at all very bright. How do such dullards get to hold such positions of power and importance?
I believe the State by State approach is a stroke of brilliance.
For States that agree with equality, the Civil Right of Same-Sex Marriage, they put great pressure on the Commonwealth, for those States that do not agree, it keeps the debate alive, coming up over and over, forcing the parties to bleed longer, and depriving them of oxygen to talk about social justice without talking about areas of discrimination in our community.
The Same-Sex marriage debate raises the many other areas of discrimination GLBTI people have, as those that appose Same-Sex Marriage are forced to concede they want all other areas of discrimination removed. We would not of had Malcom Turnbull talk about the injustices on good and decent people who are intersex, had it not been for the debate on Same-Sex Marriage. We would not have had funding for Nursing home education, and the list goes on.
State by State is turning into issue by issue, in the areas some of us do not get a fair go.
The state-by-state approach is not a sound one – it will create a patchwork of varying legislation, as occurred with partnership registers.
Having said that, it is amazing the Shop Assistants Union, with its many gay members, continues to actively shit on any gay and lesbian reform.