Marriage bill passes Senate
Next step, the House of Reps
THE bill to legalise same-sex marriage passed the Senate yesterday without any major changes.
Applause filled the chamber after the Senate passed the bill with 43 members in favour and 12 against.
The decision means it will go to the House of Representatives next week for a final vote.
At least a dozen senators were either missing from the chamber during the vote or decided to abstain.
Those who voted against the bill were Liberal senators Eric Abetz, Slade Brockman and Concetta Fierravanti-Wells; National senators Matt Canavan, Barry O’Sullivan and John Williams; Labor’s Chris Ketter and Helen Polley as well as One Nation’s Brian Burston and independents Cory Bernardi, Fraser Anning and Lucy Gichuhi.
There were 72 senators able to vote, but only 55 did so. At least one, Gavin Marshall, is overseas.
Senators who have confirmed they abstained include Employment Minister Michaelia Cash, Assistant Minister for Social Services Zed Seselja, Liberal James McGrath, National Bridget McKenzie and One Nation’s Pauline Hanson.
Also missing were Labor’s Sam Dastyari, Don Farrell, Alex Gallacher, Katy Gallagher, Deb O’Neill, Glenn Sterle and Jacinta Collins (who was given a pair and so did not have to vote), as well as One Nation’s Peter Georgiou and Liberal David Fawcett.
Liberal Arthur Sinodinos and Labor Pat Dodson may have been on leave.
Senators embraced on the floor of the chamber after the bill was passed.
In a speech before the vote, Liberal Senator Dean Smith revealed the death of Tori Johnson in the Sydney Lindt Cafe Siege had influenced his support for same-sex marriage.
“Tori lost his life in the Lindt terrorist siege. He was brave, he was courageous and he had a partner named Thomas,” Mr Smith said.
“I thought of their loss and it changed me. I realised that people with real lives deserve their love to be blessed and affirmed by the institution of marriage if they so choose.”
Mr Smith said the debate had brought out the intellect, wisdom, judgment and compassion of the Senate.
“The real question out of this debate is why isn’t our Parliament like this more often?” he said.
Earlier amendments from conservative Liberal MPs, Liberal Democrats senator David Leyonhjelm, Pauline Hanson’s One Nation and the Greens were all defeated.
Labor refused to accept any major amendments and said it wanted to pass the bill unaltered, arguing it had cross-party support.
Moderate government senators also voted with Labor and the Greens to block changes.
Earlier, the same-sex marriage debate in the Senate took a jarring sidetrack into the popularity of the Lord’s Prayer.
Speakers tried to identify those who didn’t support religious protections in SSM legislation by whether they recited the prayer at the start of a Senate day.
One Nation’s Pauline Hanson said: “I notice in the morning every day when we stand up to say the Lord’s Prayer in this place that the majority of those on the opposite side don’t even say the Lord’s Prayer.
“So their regard for religion is non-existent. It is of great concern to me that this legislation is being pushed through the chamber, and I don’t believe there’s a choice in this chamber at all.”