And so the ALP’s National Conference has finally arrived. This weekend, Australia’s oldest political party will thrash out its National Platform and finalise its positions on contentious issues such as selling uranium to India, asylum-seeker policy and, of course, same-sex marriage.
There’s a whole lot of sound and fury going on given it’s a likely foregone conclusion that marriage equality will only be granted a conscience rather than binding party vote. This is the Right’s, and therefore Julia Gillard’s, preference, and though many in the Left are scrambling to entice opposite numbers to defect to their side on this issue before Friday it’s unlikely they’ll succeed. The numbers are simply against them.
In theory, marriage equality is not a traditional conscience issue and a party should adopt its position on this as a matter of public policy rather than of individual opinion. In practice, however, most reforms advancing the cause of LGBTI equality have been conscience votes, be it decriminalising homosexuality back in the 1970s or adoption access for same-sex couples more recently.
And perhaps over the long term, an initial defeat of marriage equality under a conscience vote isn’t such a bad thing. For the first time we’ll be able to hear how all our MPs and senators really feel about the issue and why, rather than having to listen to them bleat the party line, as so many – especially in Labor – have done before. We can get a sense of those who aren’t comfortable voting in favour of marriage equality right now but have an open mind for future lobbying purposes. And, a conscience vote from Labor will put pressure on Tony Abbott to allow likewise for his party, given it’s supposed to be the one that champions individuality and freedom of expression.
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