Earlier today at 10am (UTC+10:00 time), on the step of Australia’s Victoria State Library in Melbourne, marriage equality supporters were seemingly jubilant as they awaited the very contentious postal vote survey’s result on the population’s opinion on same-sex marriage legality and application. Years in the making, along with millions of tax payer dollars spent to defend the notion of postal vote, over 79.5 percent of the population had voted in the election. This number was hailed as historically significant and an overwhelming turnout, according to the Chief Statistician of the country of Australia.
Key points taken from the results of this survey are that states such as Victoria had given large amounts of support for marriage equality across all age groups; yet states such as Queensland and even New South Wales (which houses Sydney – the largest city in Australia and its surrounding suburbs, and coincidentally where most Liberal MPs hail from) had much lower support.
So, what happens next? Liberal Senator Dean Smith may compose his own bill to introduce same-sex marriage to the Land Down Under later this week, but it is definite that it will face a very uphill battle.
Although this bill is just one of the few that have already been introduced just hours after the marriage equality survey results had been announced, most MP’s – both Liberals and Labour – intend to vote for the matter in a “YES” fashion. Especially if their “YES” vote in parliament co-ordinates with the very same “YES” vote within their own electorate and constituency. The Liberal National Party, which holds a majority of MP’s in parliaments and controls the executive as Prime Minister, worries for those with religious objections to marrying same-sex couples. He also fears that passing such a bill would require businesses to be forced to work with those they disagree with, such as said couples.
Irrespective of this, LGBT activists say the results from this historic survey surely do not do the families justice. Many were even surprised that the number of electorates that voted in favor of same-sex marriage, 133 out of the 150 in Australia, voted “YES”.
