Conscience vote call on marriage bill

Australian Marriage Equality (AME) has called on Victorian premier Ted Baillieu to allow state Liberal MPs to vote with their conscience on a marriage equality bill.

Greens MLC Sue Pennicuik will introduce her Marriage Equality Bill into Parliament’s Upper House today.

AME national convenor Alex Greenwich called on Baillieu to allow a conscience vote, just as NSW Liberal premier Barry O’Farrell did recently for a same-sex marriage motion.

“If same-sex couples can marry in Victoria it will show the rest of the nation it has nothing to fear from this important and overdue reform,” Greenwich said.

The Victorian Labor Party endorsed same-sex marriage at last year’s state conference but Shadow Attorney-General Martin Pakula told the Star Observer the Opposition will wait to see the bill before it makes a decision.

“Many Labor MPs, including the leader of the Opposition and myself, are on the record in support of marriage equality,” he said.

“But we are genuinely concerned about whether any single state marriage bill could ever overcome the massive legal, practical and constitutional problems that will undoubtedly be placed in its path.

“The last thing the Labor Party wants to be part of is cruelly raising the hopes of same-sex couples who want to marry, with a piece of legislation that might never genuinely provide that right to marry.”

The Star Observer understands all Labor Party members were effectively granted a conscience vote on the issue at the party’s National Conference last year.

While the issue can be freely debated, party members are no longer bound to any decision reached at the state or federal level following changes made to the national platform.

Gay marriage bills have already been introduced into the South Australian and Tasmanian Parliaments although both are still waiting to be fully debated.

In South Australia, Greens MLC Tammy Franks reintroduced her Marriage Equality Bill on Valentine’s Day this year.

Both Premier Jay Weatherill and Liberal Opposition leader Isobel Redmond have thrown their support behind a conscience vote on marriage equality.

In Tasmania, Greens state party leader Nick McKim MP introduced the Same-Sex Marriage Bill in 2010.

The Victorian premier’s office was contacted but did not reply at the time of publication.