RIGHT-WING Australian Labor minister Mark Arbib has declared his party’s policy against gay marriage must change to allow same-sex couples to marry.
This has massive ramifications for internal Labor politics. First his words: “If I was the parent of a gay son or daughter I don’t know how I could tell them they didn’t have the same rights as I do.”
The consequences: Arbib has just declared open season on the Labor’s party nonsensical position against equality. He is the prime powerbroker in the biggest state and the biggest faction of the Government. He was key to the change of Prime Minister earlier in 2010, and his support matches that of the head of the Left wing, Anthony Albanese. The head of the country’s most powerful trade union, Paul Howes of the Australian Workers’ Union, also supports equality.
So you add it up; the two biggest factional powerbrokers, the most influential unionist, half of the Cabinet, 62% of the public and half of the balance of power MPs all support equality. Much greater numbers support a free and fair debate on the issue.
This is an unstable dam wall waiting to burst of Julia Gillard’s head if she insists on not getting with the program. More to the point this alliance is fundamentally right and in-tune with the deeply embedded Australian values of a ‘fair go’ for all people.
The clock is now loudly ticking on inequality.
p.s. the article is wrong on one count. Arbib is not the first ‘front-bencher’ to support equality. Anthony Albanese and Peter Garrett came out in support a long time ago.
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