Dear Michael,
On 18 November 2010 the Gillard Government passed a motion asking Member of Parliament to consult with their constituencies to gauge community attitudes toward same sex marriage.
My consultation, which you took part in, ran from 26 November 2010 to 21 January 2011. In total, 2 736 residents of the electorate of Sydney shared their views with me. You were one of the 89% of people who told me that Labor's task of ending discrimination against same sex couples is not finished yet.
Yesterday I reported these views to the Australian Parliament. You can read my full statement here.
The clear preference from the Sydney residents who contacted me is to amend the Marriage Act so that same sex couples can get married. 80% of participants supported same sex marriage; 57% supported a national civil unions scheme which was open to both same sex and opposite sex couples; 9% supported a national civil unions scheme open to same sex couples alone.
The residents of Sydney who wrote to me in support of same sex marriage came from many different backgrounds: members of the gay and lesbian community, their loved ones, as well as their many heterosexual supporters. What they all shared was a belief that laws shouldn't discriminate against people because of their sexuality - a belief I share.
The Prime Minister has indicated that this issue will be debated at the Labor Party's National Conference later this year. I believe this is the right time to renew Labor's program to deliver this final measure of full equality for same sex couples and I will be making a case for change there.
Thank you for sharing your point of view with me and I look forward to working with you on this and other issues as the year progresses.
Best wishes,
Tanya
The Hon. Tanya Plibersek MP
Federal Member for Sydney
On 18 November 2010 the Gillard Government passed a motion asking Member of Parliament to consult with their constituencies to gauge community attitudes toward same sex marriage.
My consultation, which you took part in, ran from 26 November 2010 to 21 January 2011. In total, 2 736 residents of the electorate of Sydney shared their views with me. You were one of the 89% of people who told me that Labor's task of ending discrimination against same sex couples is not finished yet.
Yesterday I reported these views to the Australian Parliament. You can read my full statement here.
The clear preference from the Sydney residents who contacted me is to amend the Marriage Act so that same sex couples can get married. 80% of participants supported same sex marriage; 57% supported a national civil unions scheme which was open to both same sex and opposite sex couples; 9% supported a national civil unions scheme open to same sex couples alone.
The residents of Sydney who wrote to me in support of same sex marriage came from many different backgrounds: members of the gay and lesbian community, their loved ones, as well as their many heterosexual supporters. What they all shared was a belief that laws shouldn't discriminate against people because of their sexuality - a belief I share.
The Prime Minister has indicated that this issue will be debated at the Labor Party's National Conference later this year. I believe this is the right time to renew Labor's program to deliver this final measure of full equality for same sex couples and I will be making a case for change there.
Thank you for sharing your point of view with me and I look forward to working with you on this and other issues as the year progresses.
Best wishes,
Tanya
The Hon. Tanya Plibersek MP
Federal Member for Sydney
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