Dutton reversal has bill on track
A deal to fast-track same-sex marriage into law and avoid a major internal brawl over religious freedoms could be struck after the intervention of key conservative minister Peter Dutton. Mr Dutton, the architect of the postal survey, said the bill to legalise same-sex marriage should be passed without major changes by December 7.
A DEAL to fast-track samesex marriage into law and avoid a major internal brawl over religious freedoms could be struck after the intervention of key conservative minister Peter Dutton.
Mr Dutton, the architect of the postal survey which delivered a landslide yes vote, said the bill to legalise samesex marriage should be passed without major changes by December 7 and that he would vote for it.
The Queensland MP, whose electorate returned a 65.2 per cent yes vote, said laws to enhance religious protections should be considered in a separate debate next year.
“I think now that we’ve got (the same-sex marriage) issue resolved, it will give us the ability to have a free discussion in the new year about whether or not there is support for a religious protections bill and I think that’s important,” he said yesterday.
Some conservative MPs are pushing to amend WA Liberal senator Dean Smith’s marriage laws, although Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has rejected their proposals to allow service providers like bakers and florists to discriminate against samesex weddings.
Mr Dutton also criticised those suggestions yesterday, saying: “Once you’ve got a law that’s in place, I would find it hard to discriminate against a particular person on any basis, really.”
Debate on legislation began in the Senate yesterday, with Senator Smith’s bill now likely to become law.
“I never believed the day would come when my relationship would be judged by my country to be as meaningful and valued as any other. The Australian people have proven me wrong,” he said.
He said his bill advances provided protection for religious institutions to continue to be guided by their own tenants of their own faith.