The ACT Labor Party conference has passed a motion supporting same sex marriage. The motion was passed with around ninety percent support from delegates and also included reference to civil unions being an unfair two tier system.
Andrew Barr, the ACT’s Deputy Chief Minister (pictured), and head of Rainbow Labor Australia, welcomed the decision.
‘Marriage equality is about giving every Australian citizen the same rights. At the moment gay and lesbian people have lesser rights. ACT Labor members have recognised this unfairness and they have voted for change.’ Mr Barr said.
Alex Grenwich Convener of Australian Marriage Equality welcomed the decision,
‘Not only has the ACT Labor Party convincingly declared support for full equality, but Mr Barr has also ruled out civil unions which would threaten to entrench discrimination against gay and lesbian couples by creating a 2nd class scheme’.
The decision follows similar motions successful motions in Queensland, Western Australia, Tasmania, South Australia and the Northern Territory. Earlier this year a motion was not debated at the Victorian ALP conference due to a lack of numbers, but the state has passed similar motions in the past. At the recent New South Wales Labor conference a motion was passed to debate the issue at the party’s national conference in December. The ALP’s Women’s conference also passed a motion in support of same sex marriage equality.
