Liberal backbenchers allowed free vote
Liberal backbenchers will be allowed a free vote when same-sex marriage legislation comes before federal Parliament, according to a report in The Australian today.
The newspaper quotes senior Liberal sources who say, although no offical ruling has been made, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott will allow backbenchers to exercise their conscience when voting on the issue.
Liberal frontbenchers, however, will be bound by party policy not to support amending the Marriage Act.
Since the Labor Party amended its party platform to support marriage equality in December, Abbott has stood firm on the Coalition honouring its election promise not to back same-sex marriage.
The sources said backbenchers who vote in favour of change would be seen as having exercised rights traditionally afforded to Liberal MPs to vote according to their conscience, rather than having crossed the floor in an act of defiance.
Marriage equality advocates have recently increased efforts to lobby Coaltion MPs on the issue, including setting up a petition calling for MPs to push Abbott for a free vote.
The report comes as Labor backbencher Stephen Jones and Greens MP Adam Bandt and Independent Andrew Wilkie introduce same-sex marriage bills into the House of Representatives today.
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young also has a bill before parliament which was last week referred to a Senate inquiry.
Great move from Tony…a step, perhaps a little infant but still perceiving winds of change both in UK. and the US. from the conservatives. A little unexpected but good step Tony.
It’s a furphy to think that liberal backbenchers will move to embrace same-sex marriages simply because Tony Abbott has said he will allow them a conscious vote. The fact remains, Liberal policy is still against same-sex marriages.
Abbott will not decide if we marry, we will. It was once illegal for us to sleep our nights with our beloved beside us, but that did not stop many people from enjoying a life together. The only choice Abbott has is whether to support government sanctioned discrimination in the law.
You can marry now; you do not have to wait in years of Abbott cruelty. Never let Abbott fool you that he has some sort of say over your marriage, only you do. Abbott can spend his time in the parliament toilet jerking off to Gregorian Chants and old pictures of the Pope in his Hitler Youth outfit, but he will not stop my lifetime of happiness being with my beloved – that is up to me.