Oz MPS say no to gay marriage in heated debate

SYDNEY: Australia’s parliament voted overwhelmingly yesterday to reject gay marriage, after days of heated debate that saw one senator resign after linking same-sex unions to bestiality.

The House of Representatives voted down the bill to legalise marriage between samesex couples by 98 to 42, with Labor Prime Minister Julia Gillard and opposition conservative leader Tony Abbott both voting against it.

Gillard had allowed Labor MPs a conscience vote on the issue, meaning they were free to vote how they wanted rather than along party lines, while the opposition had opposed it.

Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese, who voted for the reform, said that despite the bill’s failure the figures were encouraging.

Speaking on the bill, outspoken Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi asked what the next step would be if the government redefined marriage so that two people could wed regardless of their gender.

“The next step, quite frankly, is having three people or four people that love each other being able to enter into a permanent union endorsed by society,” he told the Senate.

“There are even some creepy people out there… [who] say it is okay to have consensual sexual relations between humans and animals. Will that be a future step?” – Sapa-AFP