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Australian PM proposes vote on gay marriage

September 13, 2016

The Australian government has announced plans to hold a plebiscite early next year on whether to legalize same-sex marriage. Critics warn the vote is an expensive exercise that will only give a platform to homophobia.

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Image: Getty Images/AFP/T. Blackwood

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced he wound introduce legislation to Parliament later this week to hold the vote on February 11, 2017.

"Our job is to ensure that the Australian people have the opportunity to express their view and to do so in a manner that is fair and impartial," Turnbull told a press conference in Canberra on Tuesday.

The proposed poll would ask voters the question: "Should the law be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry?" Such a plebiscite is not legally binding, and it would ultimately be up to lawmakers to decide whether to change the law.

Turnbull's conservative Liberal Party does not have a majority in the Senate, which means he will need the support of the opposition Labor party in order to pass the bill. Two minor parties that support same-sex marriage have already indicated they won't back the initiative, while Labor has said it will wait on the detail of the plebiscite legislation before taking a position.

Divisive campaign

Labor leader Bill Shorten has previously hinted that he would block the proposal, which he has described as a "taxpayer-funded platform for homophobia."

On Tuesday, he called instead for a parliamentary vote to make marriage equality a reality immediately without resorting to a plebiscite. Another Labor lawmaker Graham Perrett said the plebiscite had "a snowflake's chance in hell" of getting through the Senate.

There have also been some questions raised from within Turnbull's own party. Liberal gay senator Dean Smith announced that he would not back the plebiscite because he wants Parliament to decide on a law change without the divisive public debate.

The government has set aside AUD 170 million ($127 million; 113 million euros) for the proposed vote. Polls show that most Australians support gay marriage. But plebiscites and referendums in the past have rarely led to change in the country. Currently, same-sex couples in most Australian states can have civil unions or register their relationships, but they are not considered married under federal law.

nm/ (Reuters, AFP, AP)