Greens marriage sell-out
Questions have been raised about the Greens’ commitment to the Marriage Equality Bill after it emerged the party brokered a deal with the major parties that limited debate and forced the bill to a quick vote.
The bill was defeated in the Senate after only 30 minutes of debate last Thursday. Originally, debate was to begin at 4pm and run for 90 minutes.
However, in what appears to have been a deal between the Greens and the major parties to have the bill put to a vote, debate began at 3.30pm and finished 30 minutes later with limited debate.
On Friday morning, Greens leader Senator Bob Brown told media, “I’ve tried really hard to get the Government to ensure that we get a second reading vote, but I’ve got no response out of them … It’s really important that they do, it is a deprivation of rights, that gay and lesbian couples can’t marry.”
But when Family First Senator Steve Fielding got up to speak at 3.55pm, he was warned of time constraints by the deputy president of the Senate, Alan Ferguson.
“I omitted to say earlier … that an agreement had been reached between parties concerned on speaking times and I had asked the clerks to set the clocks accordingly,” Ferguson told Fielding.
The Greens did not raise objections to the limiting of debate on the bill.
Following debate, the bill was put to a vote where it was defeated 45 to five along party lines.
Twenty-six senators, including Louise Pratt, Labor’s only vocal supporter of same-sex marriage, were absent from the vote, leading to speculation that they were avoiding having to vote against a bill they agreed with.
During debate, only four Senators spoke — Sarah Hanson-Young for the Greens, Fielding, and Nick Sherry and George Brandis for the Government and Opposition respectively.
Sherry spoke for eight minutes, reiterating the Government’s position without explaining it.
Brandis claimed that barring same-sex couples from marriage was not a form of discrimination as same-sex couples had “never, ever in any society, in the whole of human history” been allowed to marry.
“Senate procedures are always difficult, when you’re a minor party, to be able to decide how long a debate should occur,” Corey Irlam, of the Australian Coalition for Equality, told Sydney Star Observer.
“But the purpose of these sorts of debates, where it’s likely to go down in the vote, is not about a vote. It’s about having a frank and open discussion and in half an hour, we didn’t see that.”
Sydney Star Observer sought confirmation of a deal from Brown, but was directed to Hanson-Young’s office.
Hanson-Young replied with a statement saying that time for debating private members bills in the Senate was limited and the Greens would like to extend that, but would not comment directly on whether a deal had been done.
brendan, Matthew Raymer’s actions as a gay member of the ALP is doing exactly that, hence my urging for members of all other political parties to do the same as him.
We also need it from GLBTQ members of the Labor party, Ben. Those in power need to be convinced that the political cost of inaction on marriage equality will ultimately be greater than the cost of action. Blinkered criticism of The Greens achieves little and frankly fails to see the forest for the trees.
Good on blogger Matthew Rayner – he is an example of practical action – demanding answers and actions from the political party he supports.
We need that approach from lesbians and gay members of the Liberal party, the National party and yes, from members of the Greens.
Publicity stunt, Matthew Rayner? Whenever the Greens publicly support same sex marriage they are accused of grandstanding, but five Greens senators voted for the bill. Five ALP senators from NSW alone voted against it.
It is very clear who is selling out, and it is not the Greens.
I think we know where Tony Abbott and the Liberal Party stand, when Abbott said on 60 minutes he is confronted by homosexuals as most people are.
The Liberal Party vilified us and tried to incite hate and violence.
People are thinking the Greens are against us or used us. Take a reality check on the real world. They might not be the best organized party but they are the only party fighting for us.
Look at the Track Record of Liberal and Labor. They do not even support us being protected in the Federal Equal Opportunity Act.
Why the fuck are people bitching about those that support us and have a history of doing things for our community?
Also want to reiterate Heidi Claus of the Community Action Against Homophobia’s point about not solely relying on a Parliamentary Party to win Sexual Freedom and Equal Marriage Rights and encourage everyone to attend the Equal Marriage Rally at 1pm at Town Hall on Saturday March 20th.
Oh and obviously before that the speak-outs on Friday 12th and 19th March from 5.30pm at Town Hall
I questioned the member for Werriwa, Chris Hayes about this bill at my local Labor branch meeting last Monday night (after he avoided even mentioning it during his report back), and his reply was to first attack the Greens sincerity, to point out that private members bills generally go nowhere and usually aren’t even debated, and he went through the list of areas where the Government had ended discrimination against Same Sex couples. He then said that the Government had gone to the polls with the position that they would never change the definition of marriage that was established in the 2003 amendment to the Marriage Act of 1961 defining marriage as between a man and a woman (thus setting a limit on how far the ALP will go in ending discrimination) and pointed out that the Liberals had the same position.
This was largely an honest answer on his part, although he avoided answering why a conscience vote wasn’t allowed for ALP MPs.
I spoke to him afterwards and privately he’s more amenable to our position although he favours having a Federal act similar to the Tasmanian Relationships Act.
I think though irrespective of the Greens motivations (and there’s a lot to suggest that there was a publicity stunt element to it), it is the Greens who are doing the most to try and repeal the marriage definition amendment and get legal recognition / legalisation for Same Sex marriage. So I think the Greens should still be commended on what they’ve done so far in at least keeping the issue in the public eye and before Parliament.
The headline used by SSO is very misleading and unfair to the Australian Greens, its members and MP’s.
Shocked that no Labor members joined the greens in voting for the bill is what i see as news out of these events.
It’s good to see the SSO put some scrutiny on the Greens.
They are a political party; they are not above question, scrutiny or demands.
It’s easy to target people like Nile or Fielding, or rail against Labor for not going far enough.
Far harder to question our friends about exactly how they are going to deliver on their rhetoric.
The Greens are widely respected and recognised as the lone voice in the federal Parliament, advancing the rights of the gay and lesbian community. Your headline ‘Greens Marriage Sell Out’ completely misrepresents this truth.
The Greens are afforded few opportunities for debate of private members bills, and yet their Senators chose to prioritise the issue of marriage equality last week. To suggest that the Greens brokered a deal to secure the trunctation of debate on their own private members’ bill defies logic and diminishes the credibility of your reportage and analysis.
Furthermore, your headline leaves the SSO open to accusations of political bias, as against the facts which highlight the serious long-term commitment that the Greens have to advancing the rights of the LGBTI community broady, and on the issue of marriage equality specifically.
Matthew Robertson
Greens Candidate for Wentworth 2010
Labor and Liberal are like the same detergent made in the same factory but marketed in different coloured boxes on the supermarket shelves.
The vote says it all.
The Greens should be congratulated for standing up for gays.
Labor and Liberal and the other associated hangers on in the Senate ought to be condemned for their stance.
Get Peter Garrett to join the Greens! Maybe he could achieve more with the Greens than being demoted by the Labour party! Surely he could add a bit more grunt to the Greens!!!! Just an idea I had.
The main thing this “debate” or lack of it shows is that we can’t rely on ANY parliamentary party to win sexual freedom.
Come to the rally, 1pm on March 20 at Sydney Town Hall http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=271526417906&ref=ts
Help build the rally by attending the speak-outs on Friday 12th and 19th March from 5.30pm at Town Hall
Since when did the SSO become the mouthpiece of the Labor Party? Let’s get this right. The ALP and the Liberals oppose gay marriage. They voted against it. The Greens promote gay marriage, put bills up like this one in favour of gay marriage and vote for it. No Cabinet Ministers from the ALP even bothered to front for the debate. Neither did any of their out GLBTI members. The Greens didn’t sell out on gay marriage – Labor and the Liberals did. It’s you, the SSO, that owe us an apology for this atrocious piece of reporting, not the Greens.
I think it was great the Greens put the bill, and that they are there in parliament as a more progressive, alternative party. Christian-right loving Lab and Lib need more bullets, not the Greens. However, with all the games played in parliament, it is even more clear that we need extra-parliamentary pressure to remove the marriage ban and win equal marriage rights. Its great Victorian Trades Hall just jumped on board the campaign, for example. Socialist Alliance has been building that mass pressure inside the movement, and supporting it as a political party can. Hope to see you all at the March 20 1pm Town Hall rally and check out more
http://socialistalliancehobart.blogspot.com/2010/02/lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender-and.html
If you think you can try and stop us from voting Greens by writing misleading articles like this to save a few Labor MPs seats, you are putting yourself deeper into it.
I think come the next state and federal elections we need to send Labor MPs in seats with large LGBT populations a message they can’t take us for granted, because as far as I know The Greens are the only party which wholly support same-sex marriage.
I think It Interesting that the debate happened with not much media coverage at all,I am a part of CAAH “community action against homophobia”and a member of the Socialist Alliance who have been at the forefront of campaigning against the marriage ban since 2004,we work very closely with the greens,and I feel It not good to tear at supporters of the campaign,I would ask everyone to get Involved we meet 6pm @UTS queer space on thurs,and support the rally”March 20 1pm Town Hall”
Conor
In fairness to Andrew Potts – read over his previous opinion columns and you will find never ending homage to the Greens. A Labor stooge he is not.
The bigger question is, why persist with tactics that will not work. It’s a message of support at no cost to the Greens…but it makes us feel good.
That’s why I want the Greens (assuming they win the balance of power)to put something more on the table; block key legislation unless the marriage act is amended.
So the greens have been exposed for the political opportunists that they are. This is not the first time that they have used our community for their own political gain and it certainly won’t be the last.
The Greens have already said they will re-introduce the bill AGAIN. They will keep re-introducing it over & over again. Each time though it has to be a brand new Bill- which they will draft from scratch each time.
What is not mentioned is the swarms of Christian Extemists marching up & down the halls of parliament that day in a massive push to stamp out the Bill. A third of the major parties abstained under the watchfull duress of the Christian Extremists- next time if the Senators turn up to the vote with OUR unified support, the outcome might be different. (& this SSO article does nothing to unify that support, vs the highly organised “one voice” of Christian Extremism)
The Greens are pro-equality & unwavering in thier support, with thier same sex marriage stance clearly displayed on thier website for all to see since 2004….
“Policy D8: Sexuality and Gender Identity
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
1. freedom of sexuality and gender identity are fundamental human rights.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
7. the legalisation of marriage between two consenting adults regardless of sexuality or gender identity.”
http://greens.org.au/node/794
For this to be part of thier clearly publicised “Mission Statement” since at least 2004, there is no question on where their support is – the same thing can’t be said about Labor.
I am open to smelling a rat- such as back when the Democrats briefly sold us out & then did a back flip during the 2004 marriage ban. But with the Greens I don’t smell a rat- I just see them banging on & on about equal rights in their words & actions, & they never waiver.
Why must you all insist on hijacking a heterosexual institution when all you are interested in is where your next dick is coming from? Drama queens!
I would like to tell you about Labor and Liberal.
My partner is a medical doctor. On a forced rotation to a remote country area a Marriage Certificate was demanded of him if we were both to have accommodation as heterosexuals do. The award was a Federal Award and Labor and Liberal have both supported discrimination of us in the Federal Equal Opportunity Act.
Labor, Liberal, and the Nationals all refused to help us. The Greens were the only people who helped us. They helped get the Award changed and end the discrimination. All of this was done with no publicity.
You might not like the way the Greens do business, it might not be organized that well, but they are the only Party who openly supports our community. The have a great track record of helping members of community like us.
Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott have both been a big let down.