Marriage Equality Bill Defeated
Date: 26-Feb-2010
The Marriage Equality Bill proposed in the Australian Senate yesterday has been
defeated 45 votes to 5. The Bill was put forward by Senator Sarah Hanson-Young of the Greens. It transpires that only the Greens voted in the bill's favour.
The bill's defeat was expected, but it arguably illustrates, a day before the annual Mardi Gras Parade, that the path to social equality for the LGBT community remains long, despite key achievements over recent years, such as the introduction of 85 same-sex law reforms.
Significantly, openly gay Labor senator Penny Wong was one of 26 senators who did not attend the vote.