Do You Approve Of A Law To Permit People Of The Same Sex To Marry?
By Samuel Leighton-Dore
In another exhausted attempt at breaking news by ‘confirming’ popular belief, the Daily Telegraph last night reported what most of us have expected for quite a while – that Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has dumped his pledge to hold a plebiscite vote this year, but will instead go with the hashtag-strong #plebinfeb by pushing the date until February 2017.
It’s been reported that the move will be announced on September 13th.
The article also revealed that our draft question for the plebiscite is: “Do you approve of a law to permit people of the same sex to marry?”
Can anyone say, “I do?” Romantic stuff, huh?
However, the Prime Minister’s office has today rejected the chance to be forthright on absolutely anything, denying the claims and saying they’re still pushing to hold the vote “as soon as practicable”.
“The mechanics of the plebiscite, including the specific question and also the timing, are subject to the usual Cabinet processes,” their statement said.
“No decisions have as yet been made.”
A spokesperson for Mr. Turnbull suggested to Fairfax Media that the shift was not due to a wavering commitment to the cause, but was rather based on advice from the Australian Electoral Commission.
“That commitment has not changed. Late last week, the AEC provided advice to the Special Minister of State that strongly recommended against the conduct of a plebiscite this calendar year.”
Meanwhile, Australian Marriage Equality has responded to the maybe-news by reinforcing their push to deny government funding to all parties involved in the debate.
“It’s time gay and lesbian Australians were treated with the same dignity and respect as their friends, family members and colleagues”, Australian Marriage Equality Chair, Alex Greenwich said this morning.
“We did not ask for a plebiscite, but if one is being imposed its vital the question, process, and timing is fair and delivered in consultation with the LGBTI community and all political parties. This is a simple change that ensures every Australian has the same aspirations and opportunities for their future.”
“One immediate way the government can provide confidence in the process is by listening to the 10,000 Australians who have signed our petition to ensure no public funding is provided to either campaign, and guarantee the opponent’s campaign tactics won’t be fuelled by tax payer dollars,” Mr. Greenwich added.
“As we seek further clarity from the government, we urge our supporters across all political parties to come together before parliament sits to deliver a pathway for marriage equality.”
“This is a straightforward reform about the aspirations of all Australians to marry the person they love in the country we love.”
The Sydney Morning Herald this morning reported that February 27th would be the date for the plebiscite vote, but has since retracted the date.
The saga continues…