Today the Australian Federal Parliament’s lower house has voted against the marriage equality bill by a margin of 98 votes to 42. Prime Minister Julia Gillard and several of her Labor Party frontbenchers moved across to the Coalition benches as the vote was counted, facing off with almost forty of their Labor colleagues who voted in support of the proposed legislation.
Despite the bill’s defeat, Labor backbencher Stephen Jones voiced his confidence despite today’s result, telling The Australian, “I am quite confident that in 10 years time some or all of us are going to be attending a wedding, a same sex marriage that will be both conducted and recognised here in Australia.”
The bill was one of four currently before Parliament to amend the Marriage Act.
The Marriage Equality issue has had a strong presence over the past 24 hours with the House Of Representatives vote as well as Liberal MP Cory Bernardi‘s questionable comments about bestiality leading to his resignation.
via The Australian
Words By Nikki Brogan
