Western Australian Labor Senator Louise Pratt will lead negotiations surrounding gay marriage at next week’s ALP National Conference.
ACT Deputy Chief Minister Andrew Barr will be working alongside Senator Pratt, representing both major factions within the Australian Labor Party. The Australian Rainbow Labor network has called for all national conference delegates to vote for a change to the current platform to support the introduction of gay marriage in Australia.
The move follows the announcement of a conscience vote on gay marriage from Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Labor has traditionally only allowed conscience votes on issues of life and death like abortion and euthanasia. Commentators have speculated that the introduction of a conscience vote will defuse the push for gay marriage to be debated at Labor’s biennial conference.
Rainbow Labor has elected and endorsed the WA Senator who comes from the party’s Left faction. In a statement, Senator Pratt said marriage equality in Australia should not be decided by a conscience vote.
‘The existing party platform supporting the current definition of marriage goes against community views and those of the majority of our party,’ the Senator said.
‘Rainbow Labor remains firmly of the view that we need to ensure a positive platform change, which removes the discrimination in the party platform and reaffirms that matters of equality should not be the subject of a conscience vote.
‘Marriage Equality is part of delivering progress and equality for all Australians and is clearly not an issue of life and death. It is positive reform that will enable all Australians adults the opportunity to marry the person they love.’
The National Labor Conference will be held on December 2-4 in Sydney.
Benn Dorrington
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