Debate on marriage equality may soon be powerfully renewed in Parliament, as Liberal Democratic senator David Leyonhjelm has made a public push to say It’s Time for same sex marriage to be taken seriously by the government.
Leyonhjelm will reportedly push for his marriage equality bill next Thursday, and hopes the LNP will propose a conscience vote regarding the issue at their party-room meeting on Tuesday.
At a press conference today, (even Cory was there) Senator Leyonhjelm said,
“The time has come for the Prime Minister to reveal whether the word ‘liberal’ actually means anything to him or it’s just a brand name like Datsun or Krispy Kreme. I support marriage equality because I believe people should have the freedom to choose their own life path.”
Allowing a conscience vote on bills is a notoriously disliked approach by the LNP, as the leader of the party has to explicitly grant a conscience vote on bills at his discretion. “Once a matter, a bill, is listed for debate, they have to have a position on it,” Leyonhjelm said.
Marriage equality? About bloody time. Make it happen, squares.
In a completely unrelated note, but while we’re here. Senator Leyonhjelm yesterday declared that native Australian Quolls, the precious endangered bbs, should become “domesticated” and replace cats as Australian family’s next best friend in order to preserve their population. Leyonhjelm said that quolls would need to “be bred as pets” for that to happen. To be fair, quolls literally look like this, FFS:
Last week, Leyonhjelm also penned the most stirring, legitimately mind-boggling op-ed for The Guardian, in which he waxed lyrical about cats (who he considers to be “natural libertarians”) and introduced the nation to his four felines: Oliver, Tiffy Ratty and Mia. Auspol, people.
Look, it goes without saying that I have absolutely no idea what Senator Leyonhjelm is — he sure as hell is adding the necessary, mildly off-kilter flavour to the Senate that appears to be an entry requirement. But rants about kewt animals and unpredictable political ideology aside, he’s got one thing pretty on point: It’s time.
Via SMH.
Lead image by Torsten Blackwood via Getty.
