SYDNEY, 15 Nov 2017:
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull today said his government will seek to pass legislation to legalise same-sex marriage by the end of the year – after a majority of voters supported the move in a non-compulsory survey.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics yesterday said 61.6% of voters cast their ballots in support of same-sex marriage. A total of 38.4% were opposed.
Almost 80% of the country’s eligible voters took part in the survey – a higher voter turnout than Britain’s Brexit vote and Ireland’s same-sex marriage referendum.
“The Australian people have tasked us to get this done. This year, before Christmas – that must be our commitment,” Turnbull told reporters in Canberra.
“It is unequivocal, it is overwhelming. They have spoken in their millions and they have voted overwhelmingly yes for marriage equality. They voted yes for fairness, yes for commitment, yes for love.”
The result marks a watershed moment for gay rights in Australia, where it was illegal in some states to engage in homosexual activity until 1997.
If passed, the legislation will make Australia the 26th nation to formalise such unions.
Irish-born Qantas Airways chief executive Alan Joyce – one of the few openly gay business leaders in Australia and a major supporter of the ‘yes’ campaign during the postal survey – told the crowd in Sydney that it was “an amazing outcome” and urged Turnbull to move quickly on legislation.
Olympic swimmer Ian Thorpe, also at the Sydney celebration, told reporters he was extremely anxious ahead of the result.
“It is such an important outcome for so many people right across the country. It means that the way you feel for another person, whoever that may be, is equal.”
The carnival atmosphere continued through the morning in both Sydney and Melbourne, with some people carrying banners declaring “our love is real” and many sheltering from the hot sun under rainbow umbrellas.
– Reuters