Thursday 25th of April 2024
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when the petty politics of seats is more important than human rights...

rainbows

Conservative members of the Abbott Government have slammed colleagues, Labor and the media in a bid to kill off same-sex marriage.

Coalition backbenchers Warren Entsch and Teresa Gambaro have joined a cross-party group of MPs to draft a private member's bill to legalise same-sex marriage, which is likely to be put forward as early as the August sittings of Parliament.

Liberal frontbencher Concetta Fierravanti-Wells said the move was an "ambush" and "played into the hands of the Government's political opponents".

"Any change of this magnitude requires appropriate consultation and not the sort of ambush approach some of my colleagues have chosen to take," she said.

The NSW senator also criticised her moderate colleagues for showing "bad judgement" by allowing Independent MP Cathy McGowan to co-sponsor the bill.

"Why are we giving her a platform?" she said.

"We have just started a campaign to win her seat [of Indi] back."

read more: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-02/coalition-conservatives-try-to-kill-off-same-sex-marriage-bill/6588394

 

a vote for freedom in the so-called "freedom" party?...

 

The cross-party bill is set to be introduced on August 11 and likely will be discussed in the Liberal party room on August 18.

However, the Prime Minister's reference to private members' bill rarely being voted on can be read as a clear sign that the introduction of the bill into the Parliament is far from assured.

MPs who will co-sponsor the bill include Mr Entsch, Ms Butler, Liberal Teresa Gambaro, independent MP Cathy McGowan, Tasmanian independent Andrew Wilkie, Labor MP Laurie Ferguson and Greens MP Adam Bandt.

In May, Mr Abbott said that if the "Parliament were to make a big decision on a matter such as this, I want it to be owned by the Parliament, and not by any particular party" in a response to Labor leader Bill Shorten's private member's bill.

Ms Butler said on Wednesday she was "very excited to be seconding a bill for marriage equality in Australia".

"I strongly hope the cross-party nature of the bill will give those in the Liberal and National [parties] who want to support marriage equality the opportunity to do so," Ms Butler told Fairfax Media.

Ms McGowan confirmed to Fairfax Media she had been involved discussions and that "I expressed my interest in it [co-sponsoring the bill]" and that "people in my electorate want this dealt with and dealt with quickly".

Mr Wilkie also confirmed he was a co-sponsor of the bill.

Mr Shorten welcomed the cross-party bill as a "sign of progress" and said he hoped Liberals were given a free vote.

 

read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/multiparty-samesex-marriage-bill-to-be-introduced-in-august-20150701-gi2j5a.html

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The Liberal (CONservative) party declares itself to be the party for freedom, free enterprise and so forth... Freedom for bosses to shaft employees. Freedom of the press to tell porkies as long as these support the party. Freedom to be arseholes... or bigots. But it's the tight arse party of this fair country... The Liberals (CONservatives) really hate freedom. They hate freedom that involves something else than greed or guns or god. Gays are out...

So here's one for you: stock up on tinsel. Think of Mardi Gras and of your family members who will be overjoyed... because you have to face it: EVERY FAMILY HAS at least one LGBT person in them. You'll make a motza when the bill is passed in August or whenever, BECAUSE EVENTUALLY MARRIAGE EQUALITY WILL GET PASSED. So stop being moralisationing idiots, think of the cash. And the joy for many people... let's have a true liberal party...

And really you don't have to a LGBT to let others be who they are... Show a largess of spirit and be proud of being who you are — then you'll stop being bigots... and you will truly be free.

 

wong, you are right...

Labor senator Penny Wong says the prime minister, Tony Abbott, is Australia’s biggest roadblock to marriage equality.

She has also slammed the “illogical and outright offensive” language used by those against same-sex marriage.

read more: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/jul/04/penny-wong-says-tony-abbott-is-the-main-roadblock-to-same-sex-marriage

Marriage equality debate resumes in the federation chamber...

 

 

The government we know is trying to get past its internal fights of recent times on same-sex marriage. But the legislative debate has resumed today in the federation chamber. Labor’s Terri Butler is leading off the contributions to the second reading debate on the cross-party marriage legislation amendment bill.

I note the Liberal MP Teresa Gambaro is sitting in the chamber.

 

Teresa Gambaro is on her feet to support change to the Marriage Act. The Liberal MP from Brisbane takes aim at conservative opponents of the bill.

Marriage is not a statement of moral superiority.

She says it is a simple statement of personal commitment. Gambaro says legalising same-sex marriage is a matter of conscience, and a pure expression of democracy. Liberal MP Warren Entsch is in the chamber to watch Gambaro’s contribution.

read more: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2015/sep/07/peter-dutton-heads-to-geneva-for-talks-on-syrian-refugee-crisis-politics-live

 

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