Australia will hold postal vote on same-sex marriage

[Stonecold]

Australian PM cancels a week of parliament to deal with same-sex marriage debate
Parliament 'will sit until marriage equality... [has] been dealt with'.

The Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has cancelled one of the two final sitting weeks of parliament for the year.

The House of Representatives will now sit again on December 4.

Announced by leader of the house, Christopher Pyne, the government argued the cancellation would allow the Senate plenty of time to debate and pass a same-sex marriage bill.

The Senate began debating the bill on Thursday, only one day after the results of a national postal survey revealed almost 62% of Australians were in favour of marriage equality.

Pyne said parliament could potentially sit longer. He said it ‘will sit until marriage equality is law and all citizenship issues have been dealt with’.

Opponents of the government have criticized the move saying it is simply buying time amid a growing citizenship scandal and because it was trying to avoid calls for a Royal Commission into Australian banks.

 

[jeansGuyOZ]

Australian PM cancels a week of parliament to deal with same-sex marriage debate
Parliament 'will sit until marriage equality... [has] been dealt with'.
...
...

Opponents of the government have criticized the move saying it is simply buying time amid a growing citizenship scandal and because it was trying to avoid calls for a Royal Commission into Australian banks.

I guess I'll give him the benefit of the doubt until I see how he manages this. He did not want a plebiscite in the first place, but agreeing to hold it was one of the things he did to buy support and become leader of the party. Then when the senate rejected the proposal for a normal plebiscite he made it a postal survey instead.

My guess is that he wants the legislation passed, and passed quickly, but he is scared shitless of a backlash from conservative elements in the party. Hence he is letting the senate get to the bill first, and if it's passed there, which is likely, that increases the pressure on the House of Reps to pass it without a heap of unnecessary amendments.

 

[Stonecold]

There will be a price to pay but I think that happens in all most all countries. The far right religious people feel legalizing Gay marriage will bring God's wrath on them so they act out of fear. Religious extremists have more rights now then they have ever had in my lifetime. I had an aunt back in the late 50's who used to go in her room and carried on verbal conversations with Jesus and I still remember the day they came and took her away to a mental institution. Today at least in Texas people do it and they are left alone.