Tony Abbott put forward the idea of a plebiscite for marriage equality
On August 11th 2015, division within the Coalition over the issue of marriage equality came to a head.
The Abbott government’s policy was that marriage would strictly only be between a man and a woman, but as country after country around the globe changed their laws, and opinion polls showed the mood for change in Australia was rapidly rising, many Liberal MPs were also beginning to call for change.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who was staunchly opposed to changing the laws faced a dilemma, one that threatened his leadership. After a marathon six hour meeting the Prime Minister announced a new plan.
Coalition MPs would be tied to the party position for the remainder of the current term, but after the next federal election would be allowed to vote with their conscience, but rather than a vote on legislation in the parliament Abbott proposed a national plebiscite on the issue, sending voters to the ballot boxes to decide the issue.
“If you support the existing definition of marriage between a man and a woman, the coalition is absolutely on your side, but if you’d like to see change at someplace, at sometime in the future, the coalition is prepared to make that potentially possible, but the disposition is that it should happen through a people’s vote than simply through a parliament vote,” Abbott told reporters at the end of the marathon meeting.
The PM was criticised for delaying the issue, and many people observed that the proposed methodology was not common in Australian politics, and possibly chosen because it was unlikely to succeed.
Abbott only lasted as Prime Minister for another month, he was overthrown by rival Malcolm Turnbull. The plebiscite policy however remained. The drawn out process saw the government unable to pass the relevant legislation to allow for a plebiscite and eventually in 2017, a postal survey was held by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The result showed an overwhelming majority of Australia’s supported marriage equality and in November 2017, the laws were changed and same-sex couples were able to wed.
In 2019, the former Prime Minister attempted to take credit for ‘making marriage equality happen’, arguing that until he put forward the idea of a plebiscite the issue had been a political millstone for almost a decade. Given his long standing opposition to allowing same sex marriage, his attempt to take credit for the result was thoroughly mocked.
Children’s author Enid Blyton was born on this day in 1897
Enid Blyton was a prolific author who created many memorable works including the Noddy books, the Famous Five, Adventure series and Secret Seven novels, as well as The Magic Faraway Tree and many other works. During her lifetime, Blyton published more than 750 books, along with numerous short stories and seasonal collections.
Her works have been childhood favourites for generations, but they have also attracted criticism for being simplistic, reusing plot elements and making reading too easy for some young audiences. Some of her books have also been criticised by modern readers and scholars for containing racist, xenophobic and prejudicial attitudes.
Blyton was married twice, and some biographers and commentators have suggested she may have been bisexual. Her first marriage, in 1924, was to Major Hugh Pollock, an editor at the publishing firm George Newnes, which later became Blyton’s regular publisher. The couple had two children.
By the mid-1930s, Pollock was reportedly struggling with alcoholism and had largely withdrawn from public life. After the outbreak of World War II, he became involved with the Home Guard. During this period, he began a relationship with Ida Crowe, a young writer, 19 years his junior, who later became his secretary. In her memoirs, Crowe claimed that Blyton had engaged in numerous affairs during her marriage to Pollock, including relationships with women.
In 1941, Blyton began a relationship with surgeon Kenneth Waters. Pollock reportedly reacted angrily and threatened divorce, but the couple eventually agreed that Blyton would initiate proceedings so as not to damage her professional reputation. In 1943, Pollock married Crowe and Blyton married Waters.
Blyton died in 1968 at the age of 71. She had reportedly been experiencing dementia since around 1960. Despite ongoing criticism of some aspects of her work, her books remain widely read. A new television adaptation of The Famous Five was produced in 2023, and a film adaptation of The Magic Faraway Tree is currently in development.
Blyton’s character George in The Famous Five is arguably one of the most famous tomboys in popular culture and has often been embraced as a literary hero by gender non-conforming readers.
Musician Joe Jackson was born in 1954
Joe Jackson had several major hits during the new wave era, including Steppin’ Out, Real Men, and Is She Really Going Out with Him? Over the course of his career, he has released 21 albums and composed classical music as well.
In his autobiography, A Cure for Gravity, Jackson discussed his bisexuality. His 1982 hit Real Men has often been interpreted by critics and listeners as an exploration of masculinity, gender expectations and bisexuality.
Actor Anne Heche died on this day in 2022
Actor Anne Heche died in 2022, six days after being involved in a car accident.
Heche came to global attention in the 1990’s when she began dating comedian and actor Ellen Degeneres, not long after Degeneres came out on the cover of TIME magazine.
In the memoir Call Me Anne, submitted shortly before her death, she wrote that she never identified as a lesbian and did not regard the terms “gay” or “straight” as relevant to her.
She appeared in many blockbuster films including Donnie Brasco, Volcano, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Six Days, and Seven Nights.
Heche later spoke publicly about how she struggled to get roles in mainstream Hollywood movies after she shared she was in a same-sex relationship.
Her relationship with Ellen Degeneres lasted from 1997 until 2000 when the couple split. She was married to cameraman Coleman Laffoon from 2002 until 2007, the couple share a son. She later had a second child with actor James Tupper.
Heche shared her personal mental health challenges in her autobiography Call Me Crazy where she detailed several family tragedies including her father’s AIDS related death, and the deaths of three of her four siblings.
OIP Staff, This post was first published in 2020 and subsequently been updated.
