Celebrations as Australia votes for same-sex marriage

Australia’s parliament voted yesterday to allow samesex marriage across the nation, following a bitter debate settled by a muchcriticised government survey of voters that strongly endorsed change.

The public gallery in the House of Representatives erupted with applause when the bill passed. It changes the definition of marriage from solely between a man and a woman to “a union of two people” excluding all others. The legislation passed with a majority that wasn’t challenged, although five politicians registered their opposition.

The Senate passed the same legislation last week 43 votes to 12. After royal assent and other formalities, the law will likely take effect in about a month, with the first weddings expected about a month later. Champagne and tears of flowed in the halls of Parliament House as gay celebrities including Olympic champion swimmer Ian Thorpe and actress Magda Szubanski hugged politicians and ordinary folk in a party atmosphere.

“What an amazing day, I’m a little bit delirious, it’s extraordinary,” said Szubanski, who sat in the public gallery during yesterday’s daylong debate.

Thorpe thanked “our straight brothers and sisters” for strongly backing marriage equality in the two-month postal survey.

“Quite literally without them voting for us, this would never have happened,” Thorpe said.

“It means that we’ve created an Australia that is more equitable, it’s more fair, it’s more just,” he added.

Amendments meant to safeguard freedoms of speech and religion for gay-marriage opponents were all rejected, though those issues may be considered later. The government has appointed a panel to examine how to safeguard religious freedoms once gay marriage is a reality in Australia.

Politicians advocating marriage equality had argued that the national postal survey in November mandated a change of the marriage definition alone, so changing the law should not be delayed by other considerations.

Gay marriage was endorsed by 62 percent of voters who responded to the postal ballot.

“It is now our job as members of parliament to pass a fair bill that does not extend or create any new discriminations,” an emotional government politician Warren Entsch, who helped draft the bill, told parliament. “It is a strong bill that already strikes the right balance between equality and freedom of religion.”

Penny Wong, an opposition Labour Party senator who has two children with her lesbian partner, said, “I am feeling happy.”