MP shows his colours
WARREN Entsch’s vivid rainbow necktie left not a scrap of uncertainty about his intention as he stood in parliament, ready to finally bring forward a Bill to legalise gay marriage.
The Leichhardt MP, who returned early from a scheduled three-month secondment to the United Nations in New York for this very moment, helped write the legislation he introduced yesterday.
He issued a grave warning to fellow parliamentarians who might be considering amendments to stall the Bill’s progress through the House of Representatives, or otherwise diminishing its effect on ideological grounds.
“Australians are sick of excuses and they’re sick of delays,” he said.
“This Bill will take from noone. It simply makes a nation a kinder and fairer place. “Delaying equality for every Australian, whether they be from Bundaberg or Fremantle, is simply not good enough.” He said amendments could be introduced and debated next year, if necessary, and must not hold up the current reforms — which 62 per cent of Australian respondents had backed in a postal survey. Mr Entsch told the Cairns Post he expected the debate to be finished by the end of the week. He said he was moved to see fellow Liberal MP Tim Wilson propose to his long-term partner Ryan Bolger on the floor of parliament.
Mr Entsch’s Bill has the backing of the Law Council of Australia and the Coalition of Celebrant Associations, which represents Australia’s 8500 civil celebrants.
“When you’ve got respected organisations like this backing you, it means something,” he said.