Tanya Plibersek to PM: Grant a conscience vote on gay marriage as a Mardi Gras present
Image: Tanya Plibersek
SYDNEY federal Labor MP Tanya Plibersek used her speech in the House of Representatives on Tuesday night to encourage Prime Minister Tony Abbott to grant his Coalition MPs a conscience vote on marriage equality as a “present” for the LGBTI community for Mardi Gras.
Plibersek also highlighted the importance of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras festival season.
“As we celebrate Mardi Gras in coming weeks, we should always remember that, while this is a time to celebrate diversity, it is always a time to fight for equality,” she said.
“It would be a great Mardi Gras present to the [LGBTI] community for the Prime Minister to announce that Liberal members of parliament will be allowed a conscience vote on my private member’s bill, a bill for an act to amend the Marriage Act 1961, to establish marriage equality for same-sex couples — and it would be even better if one of the Liberal MPs who I know supports marriage equality would second that bill.”
Last year, Plibersek won approval from her Labor colleagues to introduce a private members bill to legalise gay marriage. A similar bill in 2012 was defeated when 56 MPs voted against the measure. Plibersek and current Labor leader, Bill Shorten, voted in favour.
However, Plibersek said she would only introduce the bill to parliament once the Coalition were given a conscience vote on the matter.
Watch her speech in full:
Speech transcription:
“The Sydney Mardi Gras is now a festival that lasts for just over two weeks with film, theatre, visual arts and community events. It brings about $30 million into our local economy and provides an opportunity for many Sydneysiders and international guests to enjoy the beautiful sights of our city.
Just over a week ago I was at Victoria Park, in my electorate, for Fair Day — a day of fun and family; it falls at the beginning of the festival each year. I joined (NSW upper house Labor MP) Penny Sharpe, (Labor candidate for Balmain) Verity Firth and members of Rainbow Labor in planting our own hearts in the Sea of Hearts. This symbol of the fight for equality reminded me that Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras has always contained within it, not just fun and frivolity, but a very serious message of demanding equality before the law. As well as Fair Day, I saw a terrific play at Belvoir Street, Blue Wizard by Nick Coyle—another example of the cultural events that are on for the whole period of Mardi Gras.
The first Mardi Gras march in 1978 was Sydney’s contribution to the international Gay Solidarity Celebrations. It was quite violent; it was met by police violence and many people were arrested. While few charges were laid, the Sydney Morning Herald published the names of those who were taken into custody. Many people who had not been out to friends and family were outed in the newspaper, and some of them lost their jobs because of it.
Of course, we live in a very different community now and the police in NSW, and Sydney in particular, take very seriously their responsibility to provide a safe opportunity for Mardi Gras participants to express their desire for equality before the law. Legal discrimination and social discrimination have reduced in many respects. It has long been unacceptable to discriminate against people in Australia on the basis of their skin colour or other personal attributes. I hope that we are moving to that time of reduced discrimination based on sexuality as well. Unfortunately, despite the fact that many laws have now been changed since the first Mardi Gras march in 1978, one remains unchanged and it must be changed by this parliament. That, of course, is marriage equality.
By the year after the first Mardi Gras the (Neville) Wran government in NSW had repealed the Summary Offences Act, under which the 1978 arrests were made. It was a major civil rights milestone for all citizens of NSW and it reminds us how very quickly things can change. Three thousand people marched in the second march in 1979, and last year there were 10,000 people watched by 300,000 people, celebrating diversity, inclusion and equality.
The Sydney Mardi Gras, as I said, is a major international tourist attraction and a huge boost for Sydney’s economy. Anybody who lives in Sydney or who visits during Mardi Gras season remarks on the terrific feeling on the streets — much like the celebrations we had during the Sydney Olympics, which I am sure you enjoyed very much, Madam Speaker. As we celebrate Mardi Gras in coming weeks, we should always remember that, while this is a time to celebrate diversity, it is always a time to fight for equality.
It would be a great Mardi Gras present to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer community for the Prime Minister to announce that Liberal members of parliament will be allowed a conscience vote on my private member’s bill, a bill for an act to amend the Marriage Act 1961, to establish marriage equality for same-sex couples—and it would be even better if one of the Liberal MPs who I know supports marriage equality would second that bill.
I wish everyone a happy Mardi Gras.”
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Plibersek also highlighted the importance of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras festival season.
“As we celebrate Mardi Gras in coming weeks, we should always remember that, while this is a time to celebrate diversity, it is always a time to fight for equality,” she said
WHO is celebrating it?….Ms Plibersek?….you and the attention seeking brats who are associated with it..Conscience votes should not be allowed on any matter political….whether I would be a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ makes no difference. As far as “Australia is embarrassedly behind the rest of the western world on this so-called issue!” the greatest embarrassment would be for this Nation to bend over for your pathetically infantile beseeching to change one of the most beneficial cultures to suit your wants. If you don’t want to be heterosexual ok fine…who cares but as far as marriage and adoption are concerned you neither own it deserve it or should have it. The places so pathetically absurd as to have given such ‘rights’ are no indicator of common sense or intelligence, rather the opposite but as a relentless causation in a disintegrating culture you may get your way by screaming loudly and long enough as you did yesterday when you were whining brats. I think Plibersek desire for votes in some of her statement here has taken over from her intelligence.
Dear Jack,
You are of course entitled to your own opinions. But you do not have the right to declare other people or their relationships second class. What gives you the warped idea that you should be able to decide that gays are not allowed to marry?
Gays are human beings, just like you. With exactly the same human needs. So they deserve the same rights as you.
Equality serves everyone, including you. It’s what makes a society decent.
Even better resign from office
Very well said.
It”s not going to happen. Besides, Labor could have (no, should have) simply passed a marriage equality law when it was in power. But it didn’t have the guts, nor the decency.
This woman is p.m material but sadly the horse has already bolted with our current government.
Nice try Minister.
So many liberal loving trolls on here. Don’t like the party, the page or tanya get off the page, you are just making your self look stupider
Who needs to argue about politics on a Wednesday arvo! Not i!
Carry on!
Nice to hear from my MP on this issue – and I admit that due to other commitments I haven’t yet played the video of the speech in full.
However, what looks like a dearth of other Labor MP’s in the House at the time doesn’t give me great confidence in this as a party issue.
I’m hoping when I do watch this in full, I’ll see many more Labor faces supporting (AND HAVING THE COURTESY OF BEING PRESENT) when such a speech us made by the Deputy Leader, Tanya Plibersek.
nice glasses, i can see a cartoon already.
Tony Abbott does not have a conscience – but has rocks in his head instead!
Politics is a dirty, grey area business. Both major parties are sadly puppets to the insane right wing Christian faction elements. Cheers for the words Tanya. She is not the party, she is a voice however in that party standing toe to toe against those filthy religious, and mighty powerful freaks.
Marriage equality is way way way long overdue for this country called Australia!
Australia is embarrassedly behind the rest of the western world on this so-called issue!
So much for “Advance Australia Fair!”
Way too late Labor – you had your chance between 2010 and 2013 when you were in bed with the Greens – to provide marriage equality!
Now in 2015 with Canada, all the US (by SCOTUS on the 27th June 2015), UK, NZ, Ireland (by 52 percent “approval” Referendum on the 24th May 2015), South Africa, Sweden, Portugal, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Holland, France, Spain, etc. – all now allowing marriage equality, why is Australia behind the times on this easy issue!
Woo cool, let’s hate on a person actively lobbying for same sex marriage… super productive
@Adrian Rook – When Labor takes a concrete positive stand on LGBTI rights, then they will be given credit. At the moment they are known for proposing, and voting in a binding fashion, to support a failed Constitutional Ban on same-sex marriage, after ten years of supporting a statutary ban on same-sex marriage in the same binding fashion. Where was Tanya Plibersek when that vile proposal was supported. It failed because the Greens and Liberals voted against it. A Labor promoted conscience vote now is not going to win points with the LGBTI community.
They (Labor) had their chance when Julia Gillard was Prime Minister. It’s a bit hollow for them to call for it, now.
TONY ABBOTT IS GUTLESS
No Tony Abbott is truly a cunt!
Um yeah right Labor. Your mob is funded by the devoutly catholic leadership from the shop assistants union. Rudd and Gillard knew not to bite the hand that fed them. Tanya you are a shocker of a local member, glad I’ve crossed the road into Wentworth
mmmmmmm it’s ALP federal and state party policy to support marriage equality. They have always granted a conscious vote. Whilst I’m as disappointed as the next person that Gillard and others did not support a vote based on party policy which would have achieved gay marriage, I’m not ungrateful of what has been achieved so far. The ALP is the party that has introduced all bills which have achieved all other forms of equality so before you attempt to remove politics from politics, do some research. Politics is a haven of hypocrisy and double standards. It’s the reality. But in such a reality there still stands two parties that have lead the charge for gay rights. The Greens and the ALP. We will achieve marriage equality. It’s only a matter of time. And it won’t come from the Coalition. And whilst your complaining about the evil hypocritical ALP perhaps get some perspective and spare a thought for others around the world who are killed, jailed and face daily harassment and totrure for their sexuality. We are extremely blessed in Australia. One day we will be able to marry. Others never will.
Wrong! Labor has supported a binding vote on the same-Sex marriage ban twice, the second for a constiutional re-enforcement of the ban on same-sex marriage. Looks like they do know how to vote in a binding way when they want to.
My apologies. Should have excluded the 2010 senate vote.
But Labor are a hell of a lot better than the Tories.
@Stuart Duel – Labor tried to ban same-sex marriage constitutionally. It was the Greens and the Liberals that voted against their vile proposal. At the moment Labor stands on par with the Liberals. Labor has not had a good track record when it comes to LGBTI rights for decades.
They still beat the Libs, let alone the National Party and they now support marriage equality whereas the Libs don’t. They still have some way to go but all our gains have come from Labor Governments.
Harping back to the 70s when Labor begrudgingly supported greens LGBTI friendly bills with a non-binding conscience vote is not going to help Labor and their decade long binding support for a same-sex marriage ban at the statutary, and now the constitutional, level.
True, but there’s more than 2 parties in parliament.
Labor do not support a same sex marriage ban in the constitution. Where on earth do you get that crazy idea from??
And why the hell aren’t you attacking the Tories with the same venom?
Labor decriminalised gay sex in Queensland. Labor introduced civil partnerships in Queensland. There are no Greens in Queensland Parliament. And many reforms were introduced by Labor Governments at the federal level and by Labor in other states. I do condemn Labor for supporting Howard’s change to the marriage act and voting with the Tories in defeating gay reform bills introduced by the Greens and Democrats (RIP).
But most importantly we are looking to the present and future, not the past.
Simon margan…what a load of shit. Kruddy did a lot for for homosexuality then any other party. He has broken down barriers and allowed same sex partners N.O.K. status for a start
Simon dood ,who added “between a man and women” 2 the marriage act you waste of jizz.
Yes well Labor did vote for it so they hardly endeared themselves to the gay community for that little bit of idiocy but they’ve since moved forward. But it’s a cause of two steps backwards and one step forwards in this particular matter.
And We shouldn’t resort to name calling.
Like Julia and Rudd helped!
Fuck the Labor party..
Hippocrates !!
If Labor wants any respect they should drop their own party’s conscience vote and change the law. Labor has had a history of binding votes against marriage equality, including an attempt at a constitutional same-sex marriage ban, and a history of pitifull failed conscience votes to support same-sex marriage. Labor are not champions of equality!
Too late Labor, Rudd held marriage equality hostage at the last election. Another cheap populist shot from an opposition that stands for nothing when they have the grandest of opportunities to stand for almost anything.
Kruddy held a conscious vote but captain abbott wouldn’t let his team take part.