Labor and Greens spend week going between blocking and supporting marriage equality
LABOR Senator Penny Wong has accused the Australian Greens of not voting for marriage equality “because the government wouldn’t let them”.
The opportunity to debate and vote on marriage equality in the Senate — which would then have lead to a vote in the House of Representatives — was knocked back twice today first by the Greens, then by the Labor and Liberal parties.
It has been a confusing week in the Senate where the main focus of debate was supposed to be on voting on Senate reforms — in which the Greens have sided with the Coalition in favour of reforms — but the issue of voting on marriage equality was brought up multiple times.
On Tuesday, the Greens accused the Labor Party and Liberal Democrat Senator David Leyonhjelm of using the marriage equality issue as a delaying tactic to avoid voting on Senate reforms after Leyonhjelm tried to suspend standing orders to introduce the Greens’ own bill on marriage equality.
The Greens and the Coalition blocked the attempt to debate and fast-track a vote on marriage equality, preferring the issue to be debated during today’s allocated one-hour slot for Private Senators’ Bills.
This morning Leyonhjelm again passed a motion to debate and vote on the same bill by the Greens — a debate that could have lasted days, delaying any vote on Senate reforms. However, the Greens again blocked the motion.
“The Greens say they oppose Malcolm Turnbull’s plebiscite on marriage equality but twice in three days have sided with Cory Bernardi and Eric Abetz to deny a parliamentary debate and vote,” said Wong, the Labor Party’s most senior gay politician.
“It has been an affront to Australians who care about marriage equality, an embarrassment to the Parliament, and a reminder that Christine Milne and Bob Brown have left shoes too big to fill by incumbent Greens Senators.”
When the scheduled time came for the Senate to decide on whether to vote on the Greens’ bill, both Labor and Liberal Senators voted against it.
“The Labor Party sided with the Liberals to scuttle this opportunity. After years of debate in the parliament and the community we don’t need more discussion – we need a vote,” said Senator Robert Simms. the Green’s spokesperson on sexuality.
“So #marriageequality, what’s it like to be a political football?” #auspol
— UriahHeep (@notthebandfool) March 17, 2016
Labor earlier this week: The Greens won’t let us have a vote.
Greens today: Let’s have a vote today.
Labor: No.#MarriageEquality #auspol
— Jordan Janssen (@JordanCJanssen) March 17, 2016
I’m getting dizzy! So much spin. Sadly, the only consistent voice on #MarriageEquality is Cory Bernardi. pic.twitter.com/UxHkGZHRCL
— Adam Richard (@adamrichard) March 17, 2016
Some political observers suggested the Greens were not keen to vote on marriage equality because they aren’t confident they had the numbers to be successful, especially if Coalition MPs do not have a free vote on the matter.
However, advocates claim with 41 out 76 Senators publicly supporting marriage equality — enough for a majority vote in the Senate — it was time for those supporters to come together to make it a reality.
“It is no longer enough for politicians simply to support marriage equality, they must be prepared to vote for it and they must work together to move it forward,” Australian Marriage Equality national director Rodney Croome said.
The senate this week. pic.twitter.com/8vLJtcJD0G
— Mark Di Stefano (@MarkDiStef) March 17, 2016
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You know there is something wrong with Australia, when the parliament can pass a bipartisan law unanimously on medical cannabis, but struggle and find difficulties to get a simple majority to pass a simple law on marriage equality!
I welcome the announcement, let’s have a double dissolution national election! It is actually overdue time for a good clean out of bigots and homophobes from both houses of parliament! We all know that marriage equality is not possible in Australia, until at least 2019! That is still 2 elections away! Time for dead wood to be burned in the paddocks! Time for some real change for once! Adoption laws in SA, NT and QLD are still under government review and still do not allow same-sex couples the right to adopt children. NT, SA and WA still have no civil union or relationship register scheme set up yet either! If we can not get things done at a federal level, lets get them done at a state or territory level then!
This is a joke, the Senate should be abolished! It is much easier to pass legislation with just one house, just like New Zeland next door! I am embarrassed to be Australian!
If you think that the Greens voted against Marriage Equality then sadly you have been hoodwinked by the Labor machine who WITH the Liberals voted against Marriage Equality in the Senate last week.
Australia will have marriage equality, in about 100 years from now!
Lets be realistic here, marriage equality will be allowed in Australia in 2020, after the next 2 elections! I hope the Australian Sex Party (AXP) can get a seat in the Senate! I pick 2020, because we still do not have a majority support of marriage equality in the parliament! We are still 5 votes short in the House of Representatives, but have a majority in the Senate! I do not believe a word the spin media says! Both major parties have abandoned us LGBTI people for years! This week both Labor and the Greens joined forces and turned there back on LGBTI Australians in the Senate, and I will never ever forget it! Liberals doing deals with the Greens in a locked Senate Committee at 2am in the morning is worthy of full scrutiny to the public! I am boycotting the federal election once it is called because Labor, Greens and the Liberal party now all oppose marriage equality! The Liberal party want to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on a prerequisite no one wants and both Labor and the Greens voted against there own policy on marriage equality. I want New Zealand to invade this country tomorrow, so we can have surpluses of budgets, marriage equality, low unemployment rates and just have one house of parliament actually doing there job they were elected to do!
Fucking Outraged! Been together over 10 years, still waiting!
This is extraordinary to say the least. Australia we are a laughing stock to the western world, we can not pass a simple marriage bill! I am deeply embarrassed to be Australian! I am with Paul of Forbes on this – lets boycott the the federal election this year! So now Liberal, Labor and the Greens oppose marriage equality! This is a joke!
All politicians are complete cunts, who deserve to die with a bullet to the head!
Wow a little too extreme to say the least!
I am boycotting the federal election this year now!