SA Labor Conference supports same-sex marriage
The South Australian branch of the Labor Party has passed a motion supporting same-sex marriage at its state conference in Adelaide.
On Saturday afternoon a resolution was moved by a member of Rainbow Labor and seconded by Senator Penny Wong, reading, “This Convention calls upon the ALP National Conference to amend the platform to support the legal right of all adult couples in Australia to be married if they so choose, and for that marriage to be recognised and registered by law in Australia, regardless of the sexual orientation, or gender, of the parties to the marriage.”
Wong also spoke in favour of the motion, telling the conference she would be advocating within the party for the ALP to support equality, “in relation to marriage or same-sex couples”.
Members of the ALP Right faction pushed for the resolution to be watered down through a motion put forward by Senator Don Farrell but this was defeated in a vote of 90 to 88.
The South Australian ALP joins state and territory branches of the Labor Party in Victoria, the Northern Territory and Tasmania who have already passed resolutions in favour of same-sex marriage.
On Wednesday the SA Greens Tammy Franks MLC attempted to introduce a bill to legalise same-sex marriage under South Australian state law on behalf of openly gay Labor MLC Ian Hunter but this was blocked by the Liberals on a point of order.
The bill will instead be introduced this Wednesday.
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Well lots of us busy planning our wedding and I am glad she has finally decided to accept the invite.
David, the whole point is that it is not a flip but fairly obviously a long held personal view that the Howard government’s legislation banning same-sex marriage was discriminatory (e.g. there are strong hints that was her view in her Senate speech on Howard’s original legislation back in 2004 and she has never said she personally disagreed with same-sex marriage). The thing is though that she has considered herself bound in her public statements/position by Labor policy (as Cabinet Ministers in particular are under Labor rules). Consequently, she has now used internal party processes to argue for a change in that policy! Press reports suggest this is part of a long history of her working within party processes on same-sex issues, including moving incrmeentally towards same-sex marriage reform. Of course it was to the Greens and the Sex Party’s electoral advantage to get stuck into Wong but sections of the glbti movement should have been a bit more politically savvy about just accepting their critiques of her at face value. We need the minor parties and the glbti movement AND people working within the ALP if we are going to change the marriage laws! Also, the women’s movement long ago realised that feminist women in politics couldn’t deliver everything we wanted all at once. The glbti movement needs to be more realistic about the constraints our gl politicians can face but it is taking a while since we are so unused to having out gl politicians. After all, Wong was brave enough to be the first one in Labor at federal level!
This is a wonderful public flip for gay marriage. I think it is quite probable that she received so much negative feedback from her supporters that she had to finally take a public stand. We can thank our Green friend from Tasmania for the turn about.
Now we need to hear from our Graydnler friend, Mr. Albanese.
Also, I do not see why we must wait till next December for any action.
We will not be denied.
I consider Gay marriage a party neutral issue. It is a Gay issue; it is our civil right to get married.
That being stated, it is good to see Penny now on-board.
Penny’s had plenty of opportunities for this change in her approach – all she ever had to say was that she would express her real beliefs in a conscience vote. It’s great she’s finally taken this course of action, it will make a difference. Labor needs to address this issue or it will never re-discover its core values and will not win government in 2010. If that happens Penny can hold her head up high and the Pliberseks of the party will be left to take the blame.
This doesn’t really change anything.
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It’s great to see Penny come out publicly in support of same-sex marriage.
However, it is still a great disappointment that inner-city MP Tanya Plibersek refuses to do the same. Plibersek refuses to speak out publicly in support of same-sex marriage.
Many Labor MPs have now gone public in support of same-sex marriage. If they can do it, why can’t Tanya Plibersek?
Good on you Penny Wong. Contrary to some views, while Wong, as a Cabinet Minister, has previously publicly repeated Labor policy on same-sex marriage when asked, she has been very careful to never say that she personally thought same-sex marriage was wrong. This was a clear indication of what her own views always were to those who bothered to look. Wong has long played a central role in fighting for policies on same-sex law reform within the Labor Party and this is just the latest example. We need people who fight for change within the Labor Party as well as people who criticise Labor policies from the outside. Indeed, Wong has been an incredibly effective campaigner for gay and lesbian rights and it is about time this was more widely acknowledged! Jean and Carol.
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