The marriage equality issue has become one of such political significance in Australia that there is no escaping the gravitational pull of the Rainbow Flag in Parliament House. The Prime Minister Julia Gillard is now the only Labor leader who hasn’t publicly declared support for gay marriage, with Queensland’s Anna Bligh, NSW’s John Robertson, Tasmania’s Lara Giddings, Victoria’s Daniel Andrews and the ACT’s Katy Gallagher who have all announced their support for legislative change.
The issue will now be taken to a conscience vote at the ALP conference coming up in December, which means that the Labor party’s official stance on gay marriage will come down to how each of party MPs feels about the topic.
In a way the conscience vote is a positive thing because a large number of Labor party Members have voiced strong support for same-sex marriage so the chance of it getting the majority vote is high. The problem, however, is that by going to a conscience vote the Prime Minister is avoiding taking any ownership of her party’s position.
Essentially Julia Gillard can still keep face with anti-gay marriage factions because she can claim “hey look you guys, same-sex marriage wasn’t my doing. And it wasn’t my actual Party per se – blame the pinko lefties on my party who voted it in! I never officially agreed to any of this.”
That way the Prime Minister can kinda sorta pretty much keep everyone on side via a position involving a fence and some uncomfortable straddling – a classic move favoured by Australian political leaders who refuse to have an actual opinion on anything!
Ms Gillard is the first female Australian Prime Minister ever and the World’s 23rd Most Powerful Woman. To think that she wouldn’t want to take ownership of a change in Australian society that would promote both social progress and tolerance is a concern. It’s time she grew a proverbial pair and just did the right thing.
Via The Daily Telegraph.
Title Image by Morne de Klerk via Stringer/Getty
