Following Labor’s announcement of a marriage equality bill to be introduced in Parliament tomorrow, the momentum for legalising same sex marriage in Australia has been charging ahead at lightning pace. With major Australian businesses and brands taking out a full-page ad in The Australian on Friday in support of marriage equality, and Prime Minister Tony Abbott‘s own sister Christine Forster claiming that marriage equality is “inevitable” in 2015, it seems as though the government’s recognition of
equaling is but a few months away.
And this morning, the fate of same sex marriage winning over Parliament became an even more likely proposition, as the Sydney Morning Herald today reports on Liberal MP Warren Entsch‘s announcement to work closely with Labor leader Bill Shorten, in favour of marriage equality.
A bipartisan approach such as Entsch’s newfound support for Shorten means big things: while Entsch does not support, and reportedly will not sign Labor’s private members bill tomorrow in parliament—after accusing Bill Shorten of attempting to own the movement in political power play that panders to voters—he will meet with the Labor leader to develop a more effective, “all parties” approach to passing marriage equality.
According to SMH, Queensland MP Entsch remained firm but casual in his announcement, saying,
“We are going to work together. Once the budget sittings are over, I’ll pop around and have a yarn with Bill. I’m confident we will get something up in spring.”
Never did a Spring wedding seem so sweet.
Labor’s private member’s bill, introduced in Parliament tomorrow, boils down to two words – the current legislation on marriage classifies the union as one between a “man and woman” and “husband and wife”.
But if the bill passes, legislation on marriage would alter in the slightest, but most fundamentally significant way, by crossing out gender-specific terminology and using “two people” instead.
We’ll say it again. It’s. Time.
Via SMH.
Image by Torsten Blackwood via Getty.
