Lobby to hold Tas Premier-elect to marriage conscience vote
Image: Will Hodgman, the Premier of Tasmania.
LOBBY group Australian Marriage Equality said it will hold the new Liberal Party Premier-elect of Tasmania Will Hodgman to his election commitment to grant members of his party a conscience vote on marriage equality legislation for his state.
Hodgman affirmed his position on the conscience vote during an interview with the Australian Christian Lobby last month.
鈥淚 make the point that it’s a matter of conscience for Liberal members, and we will always provide them with that. We certainly have no policy to take to the people of Tasmania in the upcoming election that we will introduce such legislation,鈥� Hodgman said.
Australian Marriage Equality national director Rodney Croome was hopeful Hodgman’s commitment to a conscience vote could still mean Tasmania might be the first state to successfully pass same-sex marriage legislation.
鈥淔ar from spelling the end of the marriage equality debate in Tasmania, Will Hodgman鈥檚 election is the start of a new and promising phase of that debate,鈥� Croome said.
The Star Observer contacted Hodgman’s office for confirmation of the commitment to a conscience vote on marriage equality but did not receive a response at the time of writing.
While the outcome of the South Australian state election also held last weekend is still in doubt at the time of writing, the contest included the only openly-LGBTI candidate across either state election, upper house Labor MP Ian Hunter.
