A national opinion poll showing more than half of Australians believed same-sex couples should be able to marry has reinvigorated the national marriage debate, thrusting the issue back in the spotlight.
Alex Greenwich, spokesperson for Australian Marriage Equality (AME), told SX the reaction to the Galaxy poll marked a turning point in the way the issue is treated in Australia.
“Until now, most mentions of same-sex marriage in the Australian press were about same-sex marriage in the US, where it’s been a big topic for many years” he told GayNT. “[But] this poll has put it at the forefront of public consciousness in Australia like never before.
“All the Murdoch and Fairfax publications carried major reports last week, with many of them running polls.”
Greenwich said the newspaper polls showed similar results to the Galaxy Poll “with about two thirds of respondents supporting equal marriage, despite Christian lobby groups running organised campaigns to influence them”.
The widening of the debate has included an impassioned plea to the Prime Minister to change his stance against – from no less than a Labor MP.
South Australian MP Ian Hunter (pictured) told the state’s parliament last Thursday that Rudd was getting in the way of his right to marriage.
“I want to get married,” said Hunter. “But I can’t. I can’t marry the person I love, not in my own country… Yes, I could travel to Massachusetts or South Africa and get married but I want to share my marriage with my family and my friends – like we all do.
“I want to get married and you, Mr Rudd, are stopping me.”
In Western Australian, Gay and Lesbian Equality (GALE) WA used the Galaxy Poll results to push the State Government for formal civil union schemes.
In the ACT, Equal Love group spokesperson, John Kloprogge, said: “The Australian public are more accepting of diverse relationships than major political parties”. He added that the focus will now be on the National Day of Action for marriage equality to be held on August 1 during the ALP National Conference in Sydney.
A national opinion poll showing more than half of Australians believed same-sex couples should be able to marry has reinvigorated the national marriage debate, thrusting the issue back in the spotlight.
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