Marriage finally gets federal airing
Marriage equality got its first proper hearing in the House of Representatives on Monday in response to a motion from Melbourne Greens MP Adam Bandt.
The Bandt motion, seconded by Tasmanian independent Andrew Wilkie, noted that countries including the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Spain, Canada and South Africa allow same-sex marriage and there is “widespread support for equal marriage” in the Australia”.
The motion called on “all parliamentarians to gauge their constituents’ views on the issue of marriage equality”.
“Love knows no limits. And love knows when it has found its partner,” Bandt said.
“There have been many attempts through history to limit love. All have failed. As we move further into the 21st century, I am confident that attempts to limit love will fail again and that full marriage equality will become a reality.”
However, on introducing the motion, Bandt attempted to amend it to read, “this House calls on all parliamentarians, consistent with their duties as representatives, to gauge their constituents’ views on ways to achieve equal treatment for same-sex couples, including marriage”.
It was challenged by Liberal Bronwyn Bishop, but the ammended motion was apparently more agreeable to the Government as Labor’s Stephen Jones successfully moved an identical amendment.
Jones then became the first Labor MP to speak in favour of the motion and same-sex marriage, and was soon joined by Newcastle MP Sharon Grierson.
Phillip Ruddock spoke to oppose same-sex marriage as did the Liberals’ Bruce Billson who spoke in favour of civil unions.
Coalition MP Warren Entsch spoke in favour of same-sex marriage but said a range of issues where intersex and transgender people faced discrimination and issues around GLBTI ageing should be a greater priority for the Parliament. He then announced the formation of a GLBTI-friendly cross-parliamentary group and invited MPs to join.
Malcolm Turnbull said he was not yet a supporter of same-sex marriage but said he would join the GLBTI-friendly parliamentary group initiated by Entsch and agreed with Entsch that there were other GLBTI issues that should be dealt with first, as did the Liberals Teresa Gambaro.
I am interested that ‘other’ issues are more pressing. This is usually pollie code for ignore it and it will go away, though Mr Entsch and others have been same-sex marriage supporters for some time.
I believe that same-sex marriage will not alter the government budget spending (if I am wrong I stand corrected) where as dealing with aging and other issues will or at least require money being removed from elsewhere.
Get on with it so that when I next to go a ‘straight’ wedding I will not have the celebrant tell me that only and man and woman are deserving of this basic of rights.
What a breath of fresh air.
It was so good to see the ABC website in wall to wall coverage, and most major newspapers having positive stories, on Same-Sex Marriage.
Our story of wanting freedom is one of the great Civil Rights challenges of our time.
Some Political parties are being led by Church groups that abused and killed children, as we saw in the Forgotten Australians report in Parliament. They are using these people as a moral compass for human rights and dignity. These are the people that duck for cover when people ask for compensation and run a legal argument the Church does not exist.
We have no Federal Protection in the Equal Opportunity Act as each time it is raised church groups, some of those same groups who killed and abused children, are again used as a moral compass by the major political parties.
I hope the Greens and some Independents can help bring Labor back to being a progressive party. A party about respect and equality for all Australians.
The question politicians need to ask is what side of history do they want to be on. The side that oppressed people and vilified them, or the side that gave them freedom and respect. The side that gave people dignity.