ACT Labor for marriage equality
The ACT Territory Branch of the Australian Labor Party has voted in favour of marriage equality, with the motion passing on voices.
Just before 2.30 pm, ACT Deputy Chief Minister Andrew Barr tweeted, 鈥淭hank you to the ACT Branch for their overwhelming support of marriage equality.鈥�
鈥淰ery proud of my Party today.鈥�
Prior to the conference Barr told media he was expecting the most emphatic vote on same-sex marriage at an ALP conference.
Of the level of support at the conference he tweeted, 鈥渢here were a few voices of dissent but more than 90 percent in favour.鈥�
Barr welcomed the strong support from the ACT Branch, acknowledging its long鈥恠tanding record of support for fairness, equality and human rights.
“Marriage equality is about giving every Australian citizen the same rights. At the moment gay and lesbian people have lesser rights. ACT Labor members have recognised this unfairness and they have voted for change,鈥澛� Barr said.
Barr noted that ACT Branch members had rejected a civil union scheme because it would not achieve equality for GLBTI people and would continue to see us as second鈥恈lass citizens.
Barr, who is in a civil partnership with his long term partner Anthony, was the same day elected to be an ACT Labor delegate to the ALP National Conference
Barr has pledged to champion the issue there.
The vote was preceded by around thirty minutes of debate.
At around 2.25pm ACT Chief Minister Katy Gallagher, herself a supporter of marriage equality tweeted, 鈥淕reat debate underway on marriage equality at ACT ALP conference underway. Wonderful speeches in favour of reform.鈥�
Labor Senator for the ACT, Kate Lundy tweeted, 鈥淚 am proud to support the motion supporting Marriage Equality at our Annual Conference,鈥� following the vote.
The motion read, 鈥淐onference calls on the ALP National Conference to amend the platform to support the legal right of all adult couples in Australia to be married if they so choose, and for that marriage to be recognised and registered by law in Australia, regardless of sexual orientation, or gender, of the parties to the marriage.鈥�
鈥淐onference acknowledges that civil unions of same sex couples do not deliver the same legal security and social recognition as marriage and that a relationship recognition scheme that is separate from marriage would continue to make members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer community second class citizens.
“Conference calls upon the ALP National Conference to reject any motion to adopt a civil union scheme as a substitution for the rights of all adult couples, irrespective of sexual orientation or gender identity, to access marriage.
“Conference calls for any parliamentary vote on same sex marriage to be taken as a binding vote for members of the federal parliamentary party, and that there not be a conscience vote on this issue.”
The vote by ACT Labor means that every state and territory branch of the Labor Party save NSW, and its Women鈥檚 Conference has voted in favour of same-sex marriage, while the NSW branch voted to refer the issue to the party鈥檚 national conference in December.
The vote by ACT Labor comes three weeks before Federal MPs will report back to the parliament on their consultations with constituents on the issue.
The ACT Labor conference also passed a motion calling for the abolition of the national School Chaplaincy program.
Dave, what exactly is a “sociopath”? is that a word you found in wikipedia?
I find facts very short with you Oliver, lots of homophobia in your post, but few facts. Your agenda is a hate filled one, that is for sure. From abusing the “Gay Community” to supporting sacking people on the basis of their sexuality, your offer the pathology of a sociopath.
Read more:
Over a fifth of the Catholic Priest left in Australia are imported from countries like Nigeria and India.
Since 1994 184 parishes have merged. Today 1282 Australian parishes have 1523 priests but by 2025, the report says, there may be as few as 600 home-grown priests.
The average age of the Priest left in Australia is 64.
in actual fact dave, Australia has over 150,000 priests and the average age is 38.
When Joe De Bruyn, head of the powerful SDA Union, who controls the Prime Ministers Numbers, rampages against the Civil Rights of people in the name of the Catholic Church almighty, we have to have to reflect on a Labor Party that has become corrupt and broken and all to Latin Mass for my liking.
It is not just equality in Marriage that Joe shouts against, and let鈥檚 face it, not all people support equality straight or gay, One Nation members tend to think there are still to many Chinese, there are many rights Joe throffs at the mouth about in the name of the Catholic Church, from IVF to Same-Sex parenting rights, to the Equal Opportunity Act. Joe has no problem towing the Vatican line that our existence is not natural.
Read more:
Over a fifth of the Catholic Priest left in Australia are imported from countries like Nigeria and India.
Since 1994 184 parishes have merged. Today 1282 Australian parishes have 1523 priests but by 2025, the report says, there may be as few as 600 home-grown priests.
The average age of the Priest left in Australia is 64.
Marriage is so gay! ;)
Well said Dave.
My friends and I will also vote Green.
Oh for the great days of Australia in the 50, 60, and 70’s.
What a wonderful country it was then. Now it has been trashed, it’s blood contaminated by trash.
Dave, you cease to amaze me. Nowhere in the article was the word “catholic” mentioned yet you still had to put in your “usual”. 1500 priests that operate the catholic churches? where do you get that figure from?
The winds of change are blowing. The challenge will be for Federal Labor to push aside the Ultra Right Catholic SDA Union, and their millions, and listen to ordinary rank and file members.
There would be more Gay Dad鈥檚 and Mum鈥檚 in Australia then those that operate this Catholic Union. There would be more children of Gay Mum鈥檚 and Dad鈥檚 then make up the 1500 Priest that operate the Catholic Churches.
I will continue voting Green, and planning my marriage in New York while Federal Labor refers just one right to Marry, to a Federal Conference. We still have a situation where we are excluded from the Federal Equal Opportunity Act, and in many government funded jobs we can be sacked. Our existence should never be treated as a crime in any employment or access to government funded services.
There are people working hard for change within the Labor Party, but I am only able to judge it by the outcomes of its policies. When my people, when my community, is valued just as much as the next person on the street, and are afforded the same legal protections as the next person on the street, then I might consider not voting Green, but until that day comes, I will not have faith dashed again and again by a party who does not fully accept me, and puts laws of oppression and infringements in place based on my sexuality.
I had to ask, how many years would the Liberal and Labor party take before they gave us full equality before the law, and I think it will be decades. You would think the Federal Equal Opportunity Act, would be easier then the right of Marriage to pass, but both major parties have no policy to change this either.
But I will not hold my breath. Gillard will be spooked by the loss of the outer suburban blue collar constituency she needs to retain for re-election
The push and pulls factors of the two VERY DIFFERENT CONSTITUENCIES
University Educated Left & Blue Collar working Class
Only if this Post Whitlam Alliance is maintained does the ALP have any chance of winning elections at any level in the future.
It’s sad that the NSW Catholic Right along side Catholic Conservative Union leadership the SDA voted to postpone NSW branch vote until Federal Conference in December
The ALP should honour its rank and file and vote FOR MARRIAGE EQUALITY in December
The vote by ACT Labor means that every state and territory branch of the Labor Party save NSW, and its Women鈥檚 Conference has voted in favour of same-sex marriage, while the NSW branch voted to refer the issue to the party鈥檚 national conference in December.”
We really need to up the pressure between now and that conference. This is crunch time.