Australian Senate Rejects Marriage Equality

March 01, 2010

One week before the world’s largest gay event – the Sydney Mardi Gras – gets underway, the Australian Senate last week voted to reject same-sex marriage legislation.

The Senate voted 45 to 5 to reject equal marriage, although a telling number of senators were absent from the vote in protest over their parties stance on the issue.

Twenty-six senators failed to show up to the vote, including openly gay climate change minister Penny Wong of the Labor Party. Other noticeable absentees were Labor senator Louise Pratt, and South Australian Liberal Simon Birmingham.

A recent poll claimed 60% of Australians support equal marriage for LGBT couples.

The bill was introduced by Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, who said:
 

“There may have been a group of senators voting to keep discrimination against same-sex couples being able to marry the one they love, but well over one-third of all senators were absent for the final vote, presumably the only form of protest open to them.”

Australian Marriage Equality national convenor Alex Greenwich said the large number of senator-absentees shows “dissent” within the ranks of the country’s two major parties.

“The fact that 26 senators were absent from today’s debate is an indication that there is dissent in the ranks of the major parties, dissent which we believe will only grow,” he said.

“Because the leaders of the major parties are clearly deaf to the wishes of mainstream Australia we have no choice but to make this an election issue when the nation goes to the polls later this year.”

Alex Greenwich, the Australian Marriage Equality national convenor, said it was time for both major parties to step up to the plate.

“We will be campaigning in key electorates to ensure voters are fully aware that the leaders of both major parties support discrimination against same-sex partners,” he said.

“Labor cannot claim to have removed discrimination against same-sex partners until it has removed all discrimination. There’s no such thing as half-equal.”

Image author: Ian Fieggen