Ellis backs marriage equality
Minister for Early Childhood and Childcare Kate Ellis has re-confirmed her support for marriage equality.
The South Australian MP said she would back change when same-sex marriage legislation comes to a vote later this year.
Australian Marriage Equality (AME) national convenor Alex Greenwich said he had received a message from Ellis this morning that she does support change.
Ellis also Tweeted her support in November last year.
“Minister Ellis is one of many high profile supporters of reform in the Labor party,” Greenwich said.
Ellis has the backing of conservative union the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA), whose leader Joe de Bruyn is ardently opposed to a change to the Marriage Act.
“Ms Ellis’ support shows that SDA endorsed MPs can and should back this reform.”
So far AME said it has support to legalise same-sex marriage from 13 of 22 cabinet ministers including Chris Evans, Simon Crean, Stephen Smith, Anthony Albanese, Nicola Roxon, Jenny Macklin, Penny Wong, Peter Garrett, Tanya Plibersek, Bill Shorten, Mark Butler, and Brendan O’Connor.
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Don’t forget the Hon Ms Ellis is also Federal MP for women’s rights etc.
However, When I asked Kate (at a street cnr meeting in Adelaide, late July 2011) if the Gillard Govt. was likely to do a similar (yet far more positive) backflip with their (Labor’s) opposition to same-sex marriages, as they did with the carbon tax… “There will be NO carbon tax, under my Government”… All she could say was no, under Labor’s leadership, same-sex marriage will NOT become legal in Aus…
I respect Ms Ellis, and have and will probably continue to vote for her, but I am yet to see her put her money where her mouth is and stand on her own two feet.
It would be very, very strange if the Member for Adelaide who represents thousands of GLTBI people in her electorate didn’t support Marriage Equality. The Liberal Party lost the Federal seat of Adelaide, after John Howard changed the Marriage Act to exclude same-sex couples. Trish Worth, the former Liberal Member for Adelaide stated as much at the time! And yet Parliamentary Members of The Liberal Party of Australia are not allowed to vote independently on the issue?