Stephen Jones MP (left), Adam Bandt MP (right)
To be sure, this is just one step on a long road, but Monday 15 November will at least be remembered as the day the Australian Commonwealth Parliament decided to grow up about gay marriage.
Melbourne’s Green MP Adam Bandt introduced a motion today calling on all parliamentarians to gauge their constituents’ views on the marriage equality issue (ahead of introducing a draft law on the bill). The Labor Government will support this motion, but apparently not the bill itself.
It is a small step, particularly small indeed, because only a tiny minority of MPs said anything brave, interesting or new… but it is lot better than the minor Greens or Democrat parties simply talking to a brick wall.
For example, here is the Labor MP Stephen Jones (a new MP from a classic working-class Labor heartland seat): ”Having applied the core Labor values of equality, fairness and dignity, I believe that there is a case for change.” He is now one of a dozen government figures who admit their support for equality, while officially the party digs in against it.
Independent Andrew Wilkie warned that Parliament was in danger of being out of touch with community sentiment. ”The majority of the Australian community is ready for a conscience vote on marriage equality, so let’s at least agree to go so far as having a public discussion about the issue,” he said
A quick campaign today by the Get Up lobby group lead to 5,000 personal stories, photos and messages of support for marriage equality being sent to MPs…. people like Sharon Grierson (Labor) are getting the message: “I empathise with the mother who emailed me to say that she has two young adult children, one who is married to the person they love and the other who can’t marry the person they love because they are of the same sex.“
Conservative (Liberal Party) Malcolm Turnbull who represents one of the pinkest electorates, made one of the most bone-headed contributions to the debate (a debate he called for), to re-affirm that he thinks marriage is between a man and a woman only. He is supposed to be on the liberal end of the conservative party…
Tags: Adam Bandt gay marriage, Andrew Wilkie gay marriage, Australian Marriage Equality, gay marriage australia, Julia Gillard gay marriage, Malcolm Turnbull gay marriage, marriage equality Australia, Sharon Grierson gay marriage, Stephen Jones gay marriage, Warren Entsch gay marriage
AU is moving ahead in the social justice issue of our time – breaking free of the evil of people who call themselves christian, and then do everything they can to treat our gay and lesbian and yes trans citizens as less then human.
All thanks to the catholic church of Hitler who is still NOT EXcommunicated.
And the German Pope (sieg heil), who in 2009 UNexcommunicated a bishop williamson, who is a holocaust denier
When are the good catholic people who believe in Jesus message of love for all – “love they neighbor as thyself, going to stop contributing to this church where some love is hated, and their Hate is called love?
And going to demand the government treat gay people just like Jesus would have treated them – with love, compassion, and a recognition that they are also part of God’s creation.
And perhaps also part of Gods testing people in this life to determine where they go in the next life.