Re: Mystery marriage alliance (SSO#1080)

The Australia Coalition for Equality (ACE) writes to confirm for the public that it is not a member of any Marriage Alliance and remains an independent organisation that works cooperatively with a range of organisations and individuals on matters of human rights for the LGBTI community.

ACE congratulates and supports the leading position that organisations like Australian Marriage Equality and PFLAG have taken on ensuring the issue of marriage equality for all couples remains front and centre in public debate. ACE continues to also recognise and endorse the work of Equal Love and CAAH for mobilising thousands of people to take action for marriage equality.

ACE is a proud Campaign Partner of the Marriage Equality Matters campaign and strongly encourages the LGBTI community to share their story via the mymarriagestory.com.au website or at facebook.com/marriageequalitymatters.

ACE continues to sees value in the cooperative partnership built through the Marriage Equality Matters campaign, between community organisations and individuals associated with all political parties.

Ultimately, following a successful motion of the ALP National Conference in December 2011, passage of a bill to change the Marriage Act is likely to require support from MP’s of all parties.

Accordingly, we see value in our community actively working with people from the Liberals, ALP, Nationals, Greens and Independents. We support partnerships where supportive members of a political party work inside and community organisations like ACE, AME and PFLAG work outside to secure the necessary votes for marriage equality.

ACE reaffirms its previously stated opposition to the idea that Civil Unions are an acceptable outcome for Australia. It calls on all organisations and individuals to reaffirm their position against Civil Unions as a substitute for equal marriage. ACE will continue to seek assurances from MPs and party members of the ALP who support marriage equality, that they will not accept a Civil Unions compromise at the ALP National Conference, nor when any bill is presented in Parliament. Marriage Equality must come first before any civil union scheme for couples who choose to not be married is considered.

Together, our community, led by organisations like AME and PFLAG and through cooperative activities such as the mymarriagestory.com.au website, we can ensure that our community’s fight for equality is not sidetracked or delayed by those whose convictions may falter.

Sincerely,

Corey Irlam
on behalf of the Australian Coalition for Equality Committee of Management.

Federal Labor, dominated by the Catholic SDA, is engaged in a campaign of terror excluding us from the Equal Opportunity Act, and trying to shut down debate about Same-Sex Marriage at the State Conference such as the NSW Conference.

If Shelley Argent, a so called “Alliance” Member does not know much about this “Alliance”, and they are using her logo, then this coupled with the fact it is registered as a Labor Party Firm, and Brian Greg AOM said he was asked to run a front for Labor to control debate, leads me with no other conclusion that this is the front he is talking of, he even called it an Alliance.

The Alliance is certainly bringing the result the Catholic SDA Union wants, polling in marginal seats showing people will not tolerate Same-Sex Marriage, but will accept Civil Unions.

At the NSW State Conference I am told the polling was used to argue against Same-Sex Marriage and have Civil Unions. The Catholic SDA Union was certainly good at shutting down debate on this.

Facts do go a long way don’t they.

Rainbow Labor websites are not owned by essential media, so I h

@Perkin re “Now, a little correction of my own – you say, ‘…the kind of alliance of lobbyists armed with research which individuals such as Perkin are denouncing here as not in the best interests of achieving full marriage equality.’ Hmm.. perhaps, to use the politicians favourite phrase, I’ve been taken out of context? I don’t believe I said anything of the sort, Brian. … actually, Perkin, you did. Your July 7, 2011 at 11:52 am states “This group and it’s survey are not in the best interests of achieving full marriage equality”. This group is an alliance of lobbyists armed with research. Your post clearly states that you believe that neither this group nor the survey they undertook as research are in the best interests of achieving full marriage equality.

And then we get to the crux of the matter. Perkin then posted “My debate is over the nature of this less than transparent lobby group, who appear to have their website registered to Essential Media Communications, an ALP affiliate communications, polling and media firm, and how such a group could easily divert the debate away from what really matters.”

The key word here, for me at least, is COULD. Indeed, this group COULD easily divert the debate away from what really matters. HOWEVER (and this is the reason why I have been defending the group – not the ALP – in this comment thread) is that there is absolutely NO evidence that this group is either doing that or intending to do that.

Brian Grieg posts an item on Crikey SUGGESTING that the alliance MIGHT be a Labor front and all of a sudden people are denouncing them and demanding that they disband etc etc. The fact that their website is hosted by Essential Media indicates that the member(s) of the group responsible for setting up the website have Labor connections (and even then they are not automatically representative of the group which may contain non-Labor people) … but that does NOT PROOVE that this group has been deliberately set-up by the ALP to shut-down the debate.

This group then conducts some research which, hardly surprisingly, finds that there is a section of society that is conflicted about same-sex marriage and see civil unions as a possible compromise. Well that’s hardly a revelation, is it? And again, people are suddenly declaring that this group is not only a Labor front but are trying or steer the debate towards a civil union compromise … again, there is absolutely no proof whatsoever that they are doing that at all. The only evidence at all about the intentions of this group is their website, which clearly states that their objective is full marriage equality. If they were trying to steer the debate towards civil unions, surely they would have set up a website promoting civil unions as a ‘safe’ compromise for those who think full marriage equality goes to far?

People are perfectly entitled to come together, form an alliance, conduct research and lobby politicians without their activities being transparent and completely open! It may very well be that some of the people involved in this group have jobs or political associations that would be compromised or jeopardised if their involvement was public. That does not automatically that their intentions are genuine and that their commitment to achieving full marriage equality is not absolute.

The website is registered and owned by the Labor Firm Essential Media. You can check this with the domain company MelbourneIT. If even PFLAG did not know what they are up to, then the assertion it is a Labor Party front to control debate appears correct.

Ed: Comment was sought from all Marriage Alliance member organisations

Fact.

Go to Melbourne it and do a “Who is Who” search of the Domain Name. mymarriagestory.com.au

The website is registered to ESSENTIAL MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS PTY LTD. This is the Labor Party Communications company. So a Labor Party group runs the website and some Labor Party hacks here are distinctly hiding this in damage control. Whoever runs the website, owns the website, runs the group! I run online businesses, only I can register my business name for a domain.

Fact:

PFLAG legend Shelly Argent said she new little about the group.
Fact: A well respected gay man who was on the Queens Birthday Honors list said this was a Labor Party front for this secretive group. Secretive as even Shelly Argent, who runs PFLAG who this website uses the logo of, did not even know much about them or what they were up to.

Fact:

Groups who organise rallies for marriage equality have not been invited to join the Alliance. Why would a Marriage Equality group be scared of Marriage Equality advocates?

Fact:

Polling was done in marginal seats of Labor.

Fact: Labor stooges such as the username Ben.

Fact: Labor is caught out once again trying to deny us rights.

Fact: This is going viral.

And Brosh, in response to “name ONE piece of gay law reform in the history of gay law reform in this country that WASN’T initiated by the ALP” … three examples (of many) come immediately to mind … legislation to prevent the vilification of people with HIV/AIDS in NSW was NOT initiated by the ALP (it was initiated by the Liberal Government of Nick Greiner); the equal age of consent legislation in NSW was NOT initiated by the ALP (it was a private member’s bill); the recent same-sex adoption legislation in NSW was NOT initiated by the ALP (it was a private member’s bill – and because so many ALP Members voted against it, the legislation only passed because of the support of Liberal and Nationals Members).

Ironically, the same-sex adoption legislation in NSW succeeded only because of the efforts of exactly the kind of alliance of lobbyists armed with research which individuals such as Perkin are denouncing here as not in the best interests of achieving full marriage equality. Rather than negating, subverting or blunting the legislation, the group’s efforts actually succeeded in broadening the scope of the bill in the upper house, securing greater reform for same-sex couples than originally intended by the bill, requiring it to go to the lower house with amendments. It was the efforts of the group that secured a BETTER outcome for the same-sex community.

Given that both the Labor and Coalition are so divided on the issue of same-sex marriage, it is likely that the legislation will be the subject of a conscience vote for both sides … Labor Members will vote for and against … and Liberal Members will vote for and against … neither of the major parties will act as a unit … it unhelpful to assume that all Labor Members will be on our side … and unhelpful to assume that all Liberal Members will be against us … some Labor Members will be our enemies, some Liberal Members will be our friends … in the circumstances it is necessary for lobbyists to ascertain the personal position of each and every Member of Federal Parliament, regardless of their political party … and once they have identified the uncertain, conflicted, fence-sitting ones, meet with them and present sound arguments (based on solid, credible research) that are likely to assuage or counter whatever are their particular reservations and ensure that enough of them end up supporting the legislation in full and neither vote against the bill nor vote for some unsatisfactory compromise, such as civil unions.

As there are fence-sitting Members of Parliament who think civil unions are an option to make the issue go away, I for one am pleased that experienced lobbyists, regardless of their political persuasion, are bothering to do some research and work behind the scenes if necessary to convince such Members that civil unions are not an acceptable compromise and further explain why they should support full marriage equality.

You believe in power at all cost, no matter if this means an older Australian cannot get a Nursing Home on the basis of their sexuality, or a person is denied a job, let alone have the right to marry. You have told so many lies to support Labor. Constantly argueing heterosexual people are superior and GLBTI people should be subject to discrimination does not help your beloved Labor Party, it hurts it.

Looks like it’s all about about same-sex marriage to me..

A few facts, people, might go a very long way.

ANYONE – even an individual – can commission polling and lobby a politician, you don’t need a board and a public spokesperson to do so.

EVERY push for marriage equality helps.

ED: The TGLRG which Rodney is the spokesperson for and Australian Coalition for Equality, which Rodney is also one of the chief spokesmen for, are both Marriage Alliance member organisations

Yep, they’ve dragged their feet on marriage equality. But all the signs are good that they’re moving to support it – note all the motions in support of marriage equality getting passed at State Conferences – WA, Qld, Vic, NSW, ACT & Tas.

People apparently have short memories – name ONE piece of gay law reform in the history of gay law reform in this country that WASN’T initiated by the ALP?

Seriously – they’re hardly out to destroy LGBT people.

Anyway. The ALP-backed movement for marriage is really (and I mean really) clearly labelled as such.
You can see it here:

What sort of castration of the truth is acceptable, the part where group members are surprised they are in the “coalition”, or the part about doing “research” and spending money on behalf of the group with a Labor Party firm who says they speak for equality and us? What else do you call the firm that reports to who? Oh that is right, they report to the Labor Party they are doing “research” for us.

Labor is once again Guilty, once again Cruel, once again a great Human Rights Abuser, trying to strip away our Civil Rights. Gillard needs to look up the Bible, the bit about Judas.

I think we need stop listening to Federal Labor fucking us over, who is doing the Judas on us, for the sake of one conservative Catholic man in the SDA Union, who follows a cardinal who had allegations made against him, who follows a Pope who was a member of the Hitler Youth, and who as promoted Bishops who deny the Holocaust ever happened.

Labor has once again betrayed us, they are even trying to stop couples marrying overseas.

The bloody Carbon Tax did not have to wait until the Labor Party Conference, what utter bullshit for our rights to wait for the Labor Party.

I have a question, was it the SDA Union who funded the survey for the Labor Party?

I am voting Green.