Posts Tagged: marriage equality Australia

Australia / Campaigns / Politicians — 3 Comments
15
Nov 10

FINALLY THE AUSTRALIAN PARLIAMENT STARTS A REAL DEBATE

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.” Continue reading →

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Asia / Australia / Personal Stories — 1 Comment
12
Nov 10

THE GROOMS WORE BLACK …

Ashley and Glenn Anderson-Buick

Ashley + Glenn Anderson-Buick, photo Wolter Peeters

Another heart warming and heart wrenching story here of committed Australians marrying abroad …

“The grooms wore black suits, no ties. It was an intimate affair with just 12 guests. Lake Ontario glistened in the background as Ashley and Glenn Anderson-Buick were married. Random onlookers congratulated them. ”Where’s the bride?” asked a homeless man who had watched the exchange of vows. Ashley pointed to his new husband, who was offered 50 cents as a wedding present…. Full story at

http://www.smh.com.au/national/vowed-to-fight-for-recognition-20101112-17raf.html

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Australia / Campaigns / Photos / Politicians / Role models — 1 Comment
8
Nov 10

THE POTENTIAL WEDDING ALBUM – BRILLIANT!

Kristie and Jessica, from Croydon Park, South Australia

Kristie and Jessica, from Croydon Park, South Australia

This is just the best idea I’ve seen in ages - so simple and powerful.

The premise: all the happy wedding photos that could exist if only the Australian Government would get out of the way and let people love and nuture the way they want to love and nurture. Read more about the intentions of the project here. Check it out! http://www.thepotentialweddingalbum.org/

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Australia / Politicians — 1 Comment
11
Oct 10

GILLARD: WE OPPOSE IT BECAUSE WE OPPOSE IT

Gillard with her boyfriend Tim Mathieson

Photo: Ray Strange, Gillard with her boyfriend

I am glad to see I am not going mad … this article from The Australian by Niki Savva, similarly fails to find Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard ever giving a reason for why she opposes gay marriage.

Yet more of my friends have now signed up to work for Ms Gillard.  And I am pretty sure all of them also support marriage equality.  So that’s an interesting gap to fill:  getting her staff to say what they really think, and getting the Prime Minister to give an actual reason why she opposes it.

Just opposing something because you do is OK for a six year old, it might have been OK in medieval times.  It just does not cut it in 21st century politics.

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Australia — No Comments
3
Oct 10

AUSTRALIAN STATES COULD INTRODUCE SAME SEX MARRIAGE

Professor George Williams UNSW

Professor George Williams

The debate in Australia continues to bubble away.  National legislation is back in the national parliament, thanks to the Greens. Julia Gillard, the Prime Minister, is being as contradictory as ever. And Tasmania has definitely, 100%, legislated to recognise overseas gay marriages.

This article by one of Australia’s leading (and certainly most progressive) constitutional expert, Professor George Williams, is good food for thought.

It’s not that no-one has thought of this before, it’s just that the first ‘state’ to try it wasn’t really a state. The Australian Capital Territory, home of the national capital Canberra, has reduced powers, much like the District of Columbia is not an American state. So when the Australian Capital Territory voted to bring in marriage equality the then right-wing national government vetoed it (read here the personal story of the Minister leading that campaign - Andrew Barr)

What Professor Williams is saying is that the national government probably couldn’t do that do a fully-empowered state, even if it wanted to.

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Australia / Politicians — 1 Comment
10
Sep 10

CROOME ON AUSTRALIA’S NEXT STEP

 

This is a thought-provoking piece from long-time equality campaigner Rodney Croome (in his capacity as Australian Marriage Equality campaign co-ordinator).  Rodney makes the important, and in my view correct, point that the Australian Labor government will keep losing city-based voters if they don’t switch tack on marriage equality.

Marriage equality isn’t everything for these voters – but opposing it is a sure sign that Labor is not on ‘their side’. And as the recent election showed, that now means Labor will struggle to form majority government unless it finds a way to get these voters back on side.  Queue: Gay Marriage.

Read on for the full article … Continue reading →

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