Queer Quote: Australian PM Makes Marriage Equality Campaign Pledge

Tony Abbott (left) and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd 

Kevin Rudd is the current and former Prime Minister of Australia. He won back his old job recently when Prime Minister Julia Gillard was forced out by internal Labor Party politics heading into national elections, which are set for Saturday September 7th. Rudd debated Coalition Party head Tony Abbott in their first debate of the electoral campaign last night and although Rudd had previously opposed marriage equality, toward the end of the debate he made a campaign pledge to legalize marriage equality if his party wins the election.

Rudd's statement supporting marriage equality is today's Queer Quote:

Kevin Rudd said "[recognising same-sex relationships is] a mark of decency to same-sex couples across the country who wish the same loving, caring relationship that, for example, I have had with Therese my wife now for the last 32 years, and for that to be formalised."

His opponent declined to join him in endorsing marriage equality, despite the fact that he has an openly lesbian sister citing instead that the Australian federal parliament had voted down a measure to enact marriage equality last September. The conservative Coalition leader said that passing marriage equality would not be a priority for his government.

Regardless of what happens in the September 7 Australian election, the next ambassador to Australia from the United States is going to be openly gay John Berry.

Hat//tip  to Joe.My.God

Australia Lower House Rejects Marriage Bill 98-42

Bad news from Australia today. A bill to legalize civil marriages for same-sex couples was overwhelmingly rejected by the lower house of the Australian parliament 98-42 when Prime Minister Julia Gillard of the Labor Party joined opposition leader of the Liberal Party Tony Abbott to mobilize their party members to vote no by physically sitting together in the chamber. The Liberal Party whipped their party members to oppose the bill while the majority Labor party allowed a conscience vote.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports:

The bill, introduced by Labor backbencher Stephen Jones, was defeated in the house of representatives 98 votes to 42. Ten of the 17 Cabinet Ministers in the lower house, Green Adam Bandt and independents Andrew Wilkie, Rob Oakeshott and Craig Thomson voted for same sex marriage. All coalition MPs, Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Treasurer Wayne Swan and former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd voted against the bill.

[...]

"Now the federal parliament has effectively brushed the wishes of a majority of Australians aside, the states and territories will take the lead, making me confident we will see same sex marriages performed somewhere in Australia by the end of the year," Australian Marriage Equality convener Alex Greenwich said.
There are efforts to have Tasmania and New South Wales enact marriage equality at the state level but due to the federal nature of the country, one state's marriages do not have to be recognized by another state, which is why marriage equality activists had been campaigning for a federal civil marriage bill, which is supported by nearly two-thirds of Australians according to recent public polls.

The marriage equality bill was expected to fail in the lower House, and although the margin is likely to be closer in the Senate, it is also expected to fail in the upper House as well in a vote which could come as soon as today. 39 votes are needed to pass the Senate and only 29 Senators are expected to vote yes to end federal marriage discrimination in Australia.

Hat/tip to Joe.My.God