At the ALP national conference in Sydney later this week, gay marriage will be a hot topic. We doubt it will be in most Australian lounge rooms. While opinion polls suggest most Australians support a change to the law to allow homosexuals too marry, it is considered a low priority. This is understandable. Sweeping legislative changes introduced federally in 2008, and supported bilaterally, defined de facto partner to include both same-sex and opposite-sex couples. As a result, co-habiting gay couples have access to the same federal legal rights as co-habiting heterosexual couples. The significant areas of discrimination have been overturned.
Gay marriage is a final, largely symbolic, hurdle. It is a sign of just how far homosexuals have come in little more than a generation that the biggest – and most heated – battle now is about gaining equal access to such an establishment institution as marriage.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who supports the traditional view of marriage as a union between a man and a woman, has agreed to allow a conscience vote for Labor MPs on the issue. This has been opposed by elements in her own party who argue a conscience vote will not change the status quo. This is because Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has ruled out a conscience vote (despite some dissent within his ranks) for the Coalition, effectively ruling out legislative change – at least for now.
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