Marriage equality advocates slam Tasmanian Liberal’s anti-gay marriage motion

Marriage equality advocates slam Tasmanian Liberal’s anti-gay marriage motion

MARRIAGE equality advocates have described the Tasmanian Liberal Council’s support for a motion excluding same-sex couples from marriage as “a shameful step backwards”.

During the party’s state conference in Launceston on Saturday, a motion was approved with a majority of votes in favour of supporting the current federal Marriage Act, which defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

The motion was reportedly passed after an emotional debate, with those in favour arguing that the state’s Liberal Party should uphold its belief that marriage is “a union between a man and woman to the exclusion of all others”.

In response, Australian Marriage Equality national director Rodney Croome said:  “At a time when countries like the UK and the US are moving forward on marriage equality it is shameful that the Tasmanian Liberal Party wants to take us backwards.

Australian Greens leader and Tasmanian Senator Christine Milne said the support for that motion demonstrated that discrimination existed in Tasmania’s Liberal party.

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32 responses to “Marriage equality advocates slam Tasmanian Liberal’s anti-gay marriage motion”

  1. I think you are all being to hard on the LNP. It is less then 20 years since they supported keeping the evil laws of locking GLBTI people up in jail in Tasmania. Tony Abbott is to busy to step in, as he is welcoming terrorist like Putin, as the LNP have lost control of our borders.

  2. I honestly don’t know why there is a surprise. The LNP party policy is opposite sex marriage only. Seeing as they have the majority, it was inevitable. The true shame is the former PM, Julia Gillard, who put her personal bigotry ahead of the supposed GLBT inclusive policies of the Labor party’s policy… Screw both of them, vote Green or independant! ;)

    • Stephen, so do you believe that Australian law should be based on religious bigotry? As long as that religion is your one… Have you ever considered how that position harms so many young people, who are told that they do not ‘measure up’ to your biblical standards? Who are bullied either at school, or even at home by parents or other family members who subscribe to your pattern of thinking? Stephen, if you even contemplated the harm that occurs with that line of thinking, I am certain that your opinion would change. Otherwise, you do not fit in with the Aussie idea of mateship and a fair go for everyone at all. I guess the upshot is that we may disagree still accept you, and in the end Aussie values mean that you can say what you want, but just because you have an opinion does not mean that it is right, or is fact. We just want the same in return. Fair dinkum.

  3. Sarah-Jane Clarke don’t forget the commonwealth Labour green alliance didn’t allow it in their six year reign either. This is not JUST a library party or state probblem, it unfortunately is much deeper than that.

    • lol Library Party. I bet they’d support it :P I vote Greens, not a huge fan of Labor’s stance but at least they let their party vote. It almost got voted in Tasmania under Labor/Greens but a few said they were voting no because the Federal Government would step in (then sure enough ACT voted it in and the Federal Government said no).

    • Why boycott Tasmania? Name any Australian state under Liberal/National Party rule that DOES support marriage equality? Tasmania has got closer to marriage equality than any other state with its lower house voting for it last year.

  4. I’ve not ever passed on my opinion about marriage equality before as even if I could marry I probably wouldn’t as I personally don’t need a ceremony to declare my love and commitment to a partner. But that’s just my personal opinion…
    We as Australians generally like to believe that we are a forward thinking and progressive nation on the worlds stage… Clearly this is not the case when our Governments (State and Federal) can’t get their heads out of the dark ages when it comes to marriage equality… Why should anyone in a same sex relationship be told that they are not allowed the same rights as those in a heterosexual relationship??? Why are we made to feel that not only that our relationships are not equal that we as citizens are not entitled to be treated equal???
    Whether I would ever change my mind and want to get married someday, that should be entirely MY choice, I should have that option available to me… I should not be told by the Government of this country that I’m not ever allowed to marry…
    We are starting to look like backward redneck hicks on the world stage because of this Governments backward beliefs.

  5. In 2005 in a hall in hobart a number of people, about 2-3 dozen, including myself were involved in a Q&A with ministers from the incumbent and opposition state govt. at the time. Will Hodgeman jnr. (in opposition at the time) was representing the liberals. The question of gay marriage was bought up, Nick McKimm gave a supportive response as a representative of the greens, what’s his name gave a feeble undefined answer, remember him? He ended up labor premier for a while. BUT Mr Hodgeman gave a resounding personal statement to the group, it went something like this. “as merely a minister of the opposition liberal party at the moment I am forced to carry a negative response at the moment, but I can promise you that if I became leader I would follow my heart and do everything I could to change the state of equal marriage rights to include gay and lesbian couples”. Well I’ve kept that little speech close to my memory because he sounded genuine and the speech seemed sincere. Clearly I was mistaken. Moreover I was fooled by false integrity from this calculating right wing, lying disappointing Tasmanian fox in devils clothing. Is he just a sneaky facile prick or is there another explanation. I WILL be confronting him with this question next time I return to my home state.

    • Hey Geoff, I wasn’t at that one but have been at others since where now ministers claim support. One even stated in a round about way that they are in favor of marriage equality but would have to wait until they got rid of the old cronies. That is the same cronies that are stuffing everything else up at the moment. It all boils down to power play and do what we say and you will be a minister etc. Unfortunately the dangling carrot wins but eventually the donkeys trying to get it loose in the end.

  6. The Australian Liberal Party just went through a time machine back to 1788! No surprises really – this is the same party that Tony Abbott (the same man who is “threatened by homosexuality and that climate change is crap and will effect housewives doing the ironing)” is there leader! I suggest that they change the name of the political party called the “Liberals” to “complete conservative cunts”!

    I call them the CCC now!

    I have NEVER EVER voted for the Liberal party!

    NEVER HAVE and NEVER WILL vote for the Liberal party!

  7. Excellent. Since this effects the whole population – why not put it to a referendum? Let’s really see what people want.