It’s time

Just before the federal election in 2007, a Galaxy poll found that 71 percent of Australians supported same-sex equality, and 54 percent specifically supported same-sex marriage.

A more recent Galaxy poll of Queenslanders found that 60 percent believe that same-sex couples should be able to have a civil union with the same legal rights and responsibilities as marriage, while 54 percent support same-sex marriage.

Following the introduction of the same-sex de facto reforms at the federal level last year, more and more Australians have become aware of the state of inequality that same-sex couples live in.

While the Government should be commended for introducing the de facto reforms, countless heterosexuals have contacted me to express their surprise and disappointment that same-sex couples are not able to marry, or at least have civil unions.

Many point to the situation in the UK, New Zealand, and South Africa and they ask, why not here?

One of the Federal Government’s concerns in relation to same-sex marriage has been a lack of broad support amongst Australians. At the GLRL, we like to give Australians a little more credit.

Before the apology to Indigenous Australians, a GetUp! poll found that support for the apology was at 55 percent -” almost identical to that for same-sex marriage. However, after Prime Minister Kevin Rudd issued the apology, support rose to 68 percent.

This shows that when the Government takes bold leadership on social justice and equality, the community follows. Government can either increase division and fear and intolerance or it can make us aware of the better angels of our nature.

This is what President Obama did when he pledged to oppose a federal constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, and promised to introduce civil unions giving same-sex couples the same rights and responsibilities as marriage.

Just as President Obama’s courage and strength in his convictions around equality and fairness for all have allowed him to unpick the mistakes of the Bush administration, so too should Prime Minister Rudd’s convictions about a fair and equal Australia allow him to unpick the deliberate divisions and intolerance of the Howard era.