Abbott blocks Australia Marriage Equality conscience gay vote

Tony Abbott

Abbott blocks Australia Marriage Equality conscience gay vote. TODAY Show interview with Christine Forster.

Abbott government rocked by gay marriage fight

BY PHILLIP COOREY and LAURA TINGLE / The Australian

CANBERRA, August 12 – Tony Abbott and his fellow conservatives have crushed attempts to grant the Coalition a conscience vote on gay marriage, but the Prime Minister’s handling of the matter has left his party bitterly divided and his own leadership further diminished.

In a bid to assuage the anger, the Prime Minster promised late Tuesday night to either allow a free vote in the next term of Parliament or, as he preferred, put the matter to either a referendum or a plebiscite.

“We will put it to the people,” he said.

Mr Abbott, whose initial aim was to not even allow MPs and senators to discuss the policy, was forced to hold a special meeting starting on Tuesday afternoon after Liberals on both sides of the issue demanded during a meeting earlier in the day that the air be cleared. Read more

GAY MARRIAGE IN AUSTRALIA? NOT IF PM TONY ABBOTT CAN STOP IT

BY SIMON KENT / Briebart

Sydney, August 11 – Australia’s conservative Prime Minister Tony Abbott is no fan of gay marriage. At a personal level he has described himself as “probably the last holdout for the traditional position” in his family – a reference to his outspoken lesbian sister.

Last month Mr Abbott reaffirmed his view on gay marriage, with a spokesman telling the media: “The Prime Minister’s position remains the same as it has always been… he supports the current policy that marriage is between a man and a woman.”

At the political level that personal belief has held just as true. As recently as last May, Mr Abbott ruled out a national referendum on the matter after the Republic of Ireland voted in favour of constitutional changes to allow same-sex marriage.

Mr Abbott said “questions of marriage are the preserve of the Commonwealth Parliament. Referendums are held in this country where there’s a proposal to change the constitution.

I don’t think anyone is suggesting the constitution needs to be changed in this respect.”

That was then and this is now. Today Mr Abbott is facing increasing pressure from some elements within his own coalition and opposition Labor Party to allow a conscience vote on the matter to go before the Parliament during this term. Read more

PHOTO: Getty Images

Tony Abbott blocks free vote on same-sex marriage in Australia

Reuters / Irish Times

CANBERRA, August 11 – Australian prime minister Tony Abbott’s conservative coalition government has blocked its members from voting in favour of gay marriage, a politically risky move that effectively rules out a marriage equality Bill passing under his government.

The decision by Mr Abbott to use parliamentary tactics to thwart the libertarian wing of his Liberal Party comes just six months after he narrowly survived a party room coup and amid dismal polls that have reignited speculation over his future. In the Australian parliament, crossing the floor is extremely rare and lawmakers can face severe retribution up to expulsion if they defy the party to vote against their colleagues. The coalition’s current position is against same-sex marriage.

Public opinion is strongly in favour of legalising the practice but Mr Abbott, a socially conservative Catholic, has manoeuvred to head off a free vote. Read more

Abbott government rocked by gay marriage fight

GAY MARRIAGE IN AUSTRALIA? NOT IF PM TONY ABBOTT CAN STOP IT

Tony Abbott blocks free vote on same-sex marriage in Australia

Related