The federal senate has spent the day arguing about Senator Dean Smith’s marriage bill. Working into the night the senators have addressed a large number of proposed amendments to the bill with each subsequent proposed changed knocked back. Five amendments put forward by Senator James Paterson and Senator David Fawcett have failed to gain support […]
Attorney General George Brandis has delivered a moving speech in support of marriage equality as the senate debates the bill which will allow same sex couples to wed. In his speech Senator Brandis recounted how the decriminalisation of Homosexuality had begun in South Australia 45 years ago, and one by one all Australian states had […]
OPINION The debate over whether or not it was appropriate for the National Rugby League to invite a singer who supports marriage equality, and had a hit song about reducing homophobia, is entering its third day. It’s likely to continue at least until Macklemore and Mary Lambert take to the stage at the NRL Grand […]
Emergency laws to stop people being vilified during the debate surrounding the government’s postal survey on marriage will be introduced to parliament this week. The laws will see civil prosecutions with fines of up to $12,600 for people who feel vilified or threatened during the campaign. The emergency laws will only apply up until the […]
One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts has told the ABC that homosexuals are offended by Muslim women who wear a burqa. “In Australia with our set of values people are seeing this as an affront to women, and as an affront to homosexuals and an affront to Australian values and an affront to our nation’s laws” […]
Attorney General George Brandis is seeking legal advice on the possibility of a postal plebiscite after Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull reportedly told his cabinet colleagues he would not abandon the party’s commitment to hold a national vote on the issue of marriage equality. A postal plebiscite would be voluntary for the public to participate in, […]
Liberal minister Christopher Pyne has apologised for his comments where he suggested marriage equality might be achieved in Australia sooner than people expected. Leaked comments Pyne made last Friday set off days of in-fighting among government ministers exposing an ideological rift within the party’s ranks. The South Australian MP made the apology during a speech […]
New reports have emerged of a marriage equality bill being drafted within the Liberal party as the debate heats up once again during Parliament’s winter break. Fairfax Media have reported that government backbenchers Trent Zimmerman and Western Australian Senator Dean Smith are collaborating on a bill to legalise marriage equality by parliamentary free vote, rather […]
Attorney General George Brandis has announced that Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher will be the new head of the Australian Human Rights Commission. Croucher will replace Professor Gillian Triggs who is retiring at the end of her five year term. Professor Croucher is currently the President of the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC). She was first […]
The Greens Senator Janet Rice has asked the government about Immigration Minister Peter Dutton’s comments suggesting that business leaders should stay out of the marriage equality debate and “stick to their knitting“. Senator Rice asked why the government was persisting with it’s failed plebiscite plan, before following up with a question about why the government […]
