Australia’s Senate last month voted 45-5 to shoot down the Marriage Equality Bill, which would grant same-sex couples full marriage rights. Some 26 senators didn’t even show up. Among them, Sens. Penny Wong (pictured) and Louise Pratt, who are both gay. “In what pundits say is a telling sign, 26 senators did not turn up to the vote, with both major parties opting not to allow a conscience vote on the issue. Openly gay WA Labor senator Louise Pratt was also absent from the vote. The Age reported senior ministers including Wong were tied up in a cabinet meeting. Australian Marriage Equality national convenor Alex Greenwich said low turnout for the vote shows there is ‘dissent’ within the major parties. ‘The fact that 26 senators were absent from today’s debate is an indication that there is dissent in the ranks of the major parties, dissent which we believe will only grow,’ he said.” [Star Observer]
Chris
They were protesting their party’s position from what I read. At first I was dismayed too but it seems this not passing was pre-ordained. That said: Australia, get your stuff together, a parliamentary system like your gives parties more influence which is why marriage was legalized in Canada.
Andrew
The fucked up part? Polls consistently show 55-60+ support for marriage equality!
Jeff R
Yes, it’s a bit misleading to say these senators “didn’t bother” voting. If they had voted, they would have been required to vote no. So they stayed away in protest, not apathy.
Party discipline isn’t always a bad thing. South Africa wouldn’t have marriage equality if the ANC hadn’t whipped the vote in the right direction. It’s just dismaying that neither of the major parties in AUS will touch this issue.
tjr101
Wow and I thought our congress was backward enough.
Paschal
@tjr101: Your congress is backward. The Australians have as similar political system to us Irish. The systems come from the British Westminster system and have some variations but not many huge ones. It is very useful because it means that a government can govern without the legislature making proper governance almost impossible while being democratic. There are, of course, problems including lack of legislative oversight of the executive and little power being given to people who are not part of the government party. Parties are hugely important to these syatems although independents can have power, as has been and is the case in Ireland by them supporting the government parties.
swarm
@ 5 Pascall “It is very useful because it means that a government can govern without the legislature making proper governance almost impossible while being democratic.
There are, of course, problems including lack of legislative oversight of the executive and little power being given to people who are not part of the government party.”
And this is better why? No thanks. Apathy is the problem HERE. Along with ppl who just FLOVE BIG GOVERNMENT interfering in their lives. California banning cursing? Seriously? Perhaps another motherland is to your liking, Californians.
jason
Australia is a hole. Its gay-friendly image is pure propaganda. Penny Wong has not acted in the best interests of the gay community by refusing to vote. She was probably told not to by her right-wing boss, Kevin Rudd.
Chris from the land of Oz
@Jeff R Sorry but any senator is allowed to cross the floor on any issue, its just frowned upon. And if they did the public which is 60% is on the side of marriage equality, would give them support for showing some backbone.
Now back to the report, Other news reports say the major parties did a deal to have the gay marriage bill vote in the early in the day instead of later in the day, now that makes me come to the conclusion. The deal was done to save embarrassment for the Government or senator Wong because if a senior cabinet minister was to cross the floor the opposition and media would have a field day with it. Or if Wong voted it down she would of been attack by the GLBT people and the media. Also the anti gay groups would use that her as an example of “Homo Don’t Want to Get Married” argument.
Also I don’t think that the 26 who missed the vote would have voted for gay marriage, Senator Conroy is a cabinet minister and he is also the main right winger of the Labor party and no real friend of equality.
end of rant.
alan brickman
guess most people still think gay marriage is just for guys..
Chris
@jason: Once again Jason, you know nothing about Australia. Our polls consistently show a majority support for gay rights. What do your nation’s polls show?
The reason why we don’t have gay marriage is because party discipline is strictly enforced in Australian politics, and it is in fact our GOVERNMENT not our PEOPLE who are backwards. Go and get an education in international studies before you start preaching your bullshit asshole.
luke
Australia is the bets country, and sure we don’t have gay marriage but we ain’t homophobic, we have openly gay people in the military, we even don’t like out petitions talking bout religions… the leader of the Australian version of the “republicans” talked about Abstinence and he was railroaded.
jason
Australia is culturally backward. You’re not even allowed to adopt a child there if you’re gay, unlike in the USA. Australia needs to realize that its reputation throughout the world is going downhill.
Chris
Actually Jason, unsurprisingly, you’re wrong again. Gays can adopt in Western Australia and adoption of step children, regardless of orientation, is legal in Victoria. So that’s two out of six states that legalise gay adoption so…roughly 33% of the nation. How many of your states legalise adoption?
Also, I don’t like nation bashing and in fact I love America. I have family and friends there, plus without the US there wouldn’t be much on tv…..but seriously? The United States of America is telling another nation that their reputation is going downhill? I guess it makes sense, I mean everything after vietnam was just peachy right?
Thom
The Australia Haters on here are quite hilarious. Some facts – first of all, in the Australian system (especially in the governing Labor party), you are generally kicked out of the party if you cross the floor. They knew the bill was not going to be passed so their party allowed them to abstain.
That said, it’s extremely disappointing that they did not allow a conscience vote on the issue (perhaps something to do with both PM & Opposition leader being devout Catholics). I am confident that it will be passed soon though. The State branches of the Labor party all support it, and community support is about 60% & growing. The parliament is just slightly more conservative than the people they represent.
Australia is generally a highly secular, tolerant nation. Gay people can and do serve openly in military (since 1992) and there are nation wide anti-discrimination laws. The only real areas of legislative inequality that remain is marriage (although defacto partners are technically equal to marriages), blood donation and adoption.
jason
Australis is culturally homophobic. If you’re not a flamboyant stereotype, you rarely get accepted. Australia loves its gay men safe and stereotypical.
While it’s true that there are pockets of tolerance in Australia, they don’t extend much beyond Oxford St and King St. You never see two men holding hands outside of these safe zones. Australian gays are like a segregated species for the benefit of their safety.
Chris
Jason do you live in Australia?
I don’t think so.
I do, and I’ve learned that its a very tolerant nation. Hence the fact that I was able to happily come out in high school, a catholic high school. I’ve never once been abused and my boyfriend and I are always holding hands and *gasp!* we don’t even live in Sydney! We live in Melbourne. You know, that other city that you frequently forget to mention. It seems like you visited Sydney once in the eighties maybe, had a bad experience and you now spend the rest of your life hating the entire country. Get a fucking education and then after that you can get a life.
Paschal
@swarm: Well in the U.S.A. when Congrees and the White House are in the hands of different partiesand in the hands of the same party, governance is next to impossible. When you vote for a party in Ireland or Australia, you know that the party which wins will be able to do what it says it will do. In the U.S.A. you elect a Democrat who turns out to be a practical Republican and acts against the wishes of the the party which won the election. Party policy is far more important than the policy of individual politicians in Ireland’s and Australia’s system. It’s not perfect and the U.S. system has many good points but I think that the Irish and Australian systems are overall better.