Just days after the final branch of the Labor Party to meet before the ALP National Conference in December voted overwhelmingly in favour of marriage equality, a national survey has shown the highest level of support for same-sex marriage yet.
In a Roy Morgan poll commissioned by Channel Ten’s Can of Worms show, 68 percent of those sampled said they supported same-sex marriage, with only 30 percent opposed and 2 percent were undecided.
Australians are increasingly getting this issue — now it is time for our politicians to catch up.
August 13 will be the last rally in Sydney before the ALP National Conference so we need to be out in force.
Our opponents will be out there too — gathering in the Great Hall of Parliament on August 16 to celebrate the seventh anniversary of the Howard government’s ban on same-sex marriage, with the rally squarely aimed at influencing politicians reporting back on their consultations with constituents on August 24.
We need to keep the pressure on. If you haven’t written to your local member yet, do so, as you only have a few weeks left.
Don’t assume your local member is a supporter and don’t assume they wont compromise if it comes to striking a deal with factions within their party should it come to that.
Write to your state Senators as well because this issue will be fought in both houses of parliament.
Despite every state and territory branch of the Labor Party – with the exception of NSW – voting to change the party’s platform to back same-sex marriage, we are still a long way from the finish line.
We still face a Government with a leader who has been explicit in her opposition to same-sex marriage, and who is desperate not to appear weak or beholden to the Greens — a strange claim when her opposition is a Coalition.
With even our best efforts the most likely outcome following the National Conference is that PM Gillard will allow a conscience vote on the issue.
This gives her an out so, if a same-sex marriage bill is passed by parliamentarians in a conscience vote, she can disown the issue and deflect some of the ire from the conservative Christian constituency she has pandered to so often since taking office.
Failing that, the Labor Party may hold out the promise of protection under federal anti-discrimination as a carrot and stick going into the 2013 election and we may well have to wait until 2017 and beyond to see the job on equality for sexual minorities in this country well and truly done.
