Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, has confirmed she will delay a dinner with gay and lesbian couples until the New Year. The Prime Minister’s office called one of couples invited to the dinner to announce the delay. This was confirmed on tonight’s 730 Report on the ABC.
The dinner was part of a commitment the Prime Minister made at the Mid Winter Press Gallery Ball to help raise funds for a variety of children’s charities.
GetUP members and supporters of marriage equality from around Australia, chipped in to raise $31,000 to make the dinner happen.
There was a window of fourteen days for the dinner to happen that was extended with the expectation it would happen before the ALP National Conference.
Alex Greenwich, National Convener of Australian Marriage Equality said:
“Many Australian families have discussed marriage equality over the dinner table, and it’s these conversations that have changed hearts and minds.”
“It was our hope that the informal, person-to-person setting of a dinner would prompt the Prime Minister to open her heart to the Australian families affected by discrimination in the Marriage Act, especially before key decisions are made at the ALP National Conference”
Mr Greenwich said marriage equality is an urgent issue because many gay and lesbian couples desperately want to be able to make the kind of solemn, legal commitment the law says they aren’t allowed to make.
“The Prime Minister isn’t honouring her commitment to a dinner that hundreds chipped-in to make happen.”
“By delaying the dinner till sometime in the New Year, the Prime Minister is again trying take away momentum from a reform that so many within her Party want to see happen”
“As disappointed as we are by the delay, we are ever hopeful that the many grassroots supporters of marriage equality within the Labor Party will help make this reform happen.”
GetUP, the progressive advocacy movement, who successfully placed the bid for $31,000 for the dinner, has also expressed disappointment over the Prime Minister’s decision:
“The face-to-face time with the PM was billed as a ‘unique opportunity for corporate Australia’, but rather than dining with executives and business leaders Julia Gillard will be forced to make the case as to why these couples cannot have their relationships recognised in the same way other Australians do,” GetUp campaigner Paul Mackay said.
“The parameters of the auction suggested we’d have the dinner within a fortnight, but understanding the schedule the PM keeps, we were flexible, asking only that the event take place before the Labor Party National Conference.”
“We won the charity auction on June 15, over five months ago, when GetUp members chipped in to fund the effort and all money went to deserving charities. We’re disappointed that the Prime Minister hasn’t come good on her end of the bargain yet.”
“It’s clear this dinner won’t happen prior to the Conference, as confirmed by tonight’s report on the ABC’s 730, and the PM has dodged having to confront these three couples face to face and tell them why their relationships are less valid that those Australians for whom marriage is freely available.”
“Our hope was that those same-sex partners attending the dinner would help change the PM’s mind and bring an end to discrimination, so that one day soon their families will have the recognition and respect that other families have.
“Recent polling shows over 70% of ALP voters want to see marriage equality become law, let’s hope the PM is more comfortable listening to party membership at the conference and that is enough to change her mind on the issue.”
For further information please call Alex Greenwich on 0421 316 335 or Paul Mackay on 0415 182 402