In a statement to Parliament on Wednesday Ms Plibersek said 89% of her constituents believe the Federal Government should formally recognise same-sex relationships with 80% preferring same-sex marriage and only 57% said they would accept either marriage equality or a civil union scheme.
In a letter to her constituents issued yesterday Ms Plibersek said,
“The Prime Minister has indicated that this issue will be debated at the Labor Party’s National Conference later this year. I believe this is the right time to renew Labor’s program to deliver this final measure of full equality for same sex couples and I will be making a case for change there.”
Australian Marriage Equality National Convener, Alex Greenwich, welcomed Ms Plibersek’s support for marriage equality.
“Tanya Plibersek’s poll and her public support for full equality sends an unequivocal message to the nation that Sydney supports marriage equality and will not settle for a second-best civil union scheme”, Mr Greenwich.
“We thank Tanya for representing the wishes of her constituents on this issue.”
Mr Greenwich, who has been in Canberra lobbying politicians to support marriage equality, said support is growing in both major parties.
“The message we are receiving from a growing number of MPs is that allowing same-sex couples to marry is the right thing to do, but there are still many MPs who are conflicted and we urge all supporters of equality to writer to their local MP.”
Ms Plibersek’s comments to Parliament can be found here
Several Federal politicians have launched on-line polls on marriage equality including Liberal Party Deputy Leader, Julie Bishop. A list can be found here
For more information contact Alex Greenwich on 0421 316 335.
For a copy of Tanya Plibersek’s comments, see below.
Yesterday I reported these views to the Australian Parliament. You can read my full statement here.
The clear preference from the Sydney residents who contacted me is to amend the Marriage Act so that same sex couples can get married. 80% of participants supported same sex marriage; 57% supported a national civil unions scheme which was open to both same sex and opposite sex couples; 9% supported a national civil unions scheme open to same sex couples alone.
The residents of Sydney who wrote to me in support of same sex marriage came from many different backgrounds: members of the gay and lesbian community, their loved ones, as well as their many heterosexual supporters. What they all shared was a belief that laws shouldn’t discriminate against people because of their sexuality – a belief I share.
The Prime Minister has indicated that this issue will be debated at the Labor Party’s National Conference later this year. I believe this is the right time to renew Labor’s program to deliver this final measure of full equality for same sex couples and I will be making a case for change there.
Thank you for sharing your point of view with me and I look forward to working with you on this and other issues as the year progresses.
Best wishes,
Tanya
The Hon. Tanya Plibersek MP
Federal Member for Sydney