Australia gay marriage vote will go ahead




Same-sex marriage supporters hold up signs urging for marriage equalityImage copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image captionAustralia is debating whether to legalise same-sex marriage

A vote on legalising same-sex marriage in Australia will proceed after a court dismissed two legal challenges.
The non-binding survey to gauge support for changing Australia's Marriage Act is due to begin next week.
The High Court of Australia dismissed separate objections by same-sex marriage advocates, who had argued the postal vote was invalid.
The survey does not have the power to make same-sex marriage legal, but it could lead to a vote in parliament.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has said the law could change this year if the vote shows majority support.
"We encourage every Australian to vote in this survey, to have their say," he said on Thursday.
The voluntary survey has drawn controversy over its A$122m (£75m; $97m) cost and fears that it will prompt hate-filled campaigns.
Australians will have from Tuesday until 27 October to cast their vote. The results are expected to be announced on 15 November.

A green light to a complex process

After years of political procrastination, it looks like Australia should finally decide by the end of the year whether the law should change.
Both Yes and No campaign teams will now turn up the volume in a debate that has already become heated.
The opinion polls suggest a Yes vote will prevail - but then, as Britain's Brexit vote showed, it's wise not to try to second-guess the public.
The real question is what happens after the survey results are announced in November.
Will MPs be bound to follow the views of their electorate? Will they have to follow the party line?
The Attorney-General, George Brandis, has confidently predicted that same-sex marriage will be legal "by Christmas", but I expect a few more twists and turns along the way.

Those challenging the survey had argued the vote was invalid because it was not approved through parliament. They also claimed that the Australian Bureau of Statistics did not have the authority to oversee the process.
The arguments were unanimously dismissed by the court, which will release its reasoning later this week.
A lobby group behind one challenge said it would now devote its efforts to campaigning.
"Now we get out there, and we campaign long and hard for a Yes vote that we hope will reflect the will of the country," said Australian Marriage Equality spokesman Alex Greenwich.
Campaigners against change welcomed the court's decision.
"[The other side] have done everything they can to stop the Australian people from having their say," said Lyle Shelton from Coalition of Marriage.
"I am confident in the judgement of the Australian people."

Two men embrace behind a sign saying "love is love" at a rally for marriage equality in AustraliaImage copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image captionDebate over legalising same-sex marriage continues in Australia

Australians have considerably increased their support for same-sex marriage in the last decade, a report has found.
The wide-ranging survey found that 67% of women and 59% of men want to see same-sex marriage made legal in Australia.
In 2005, it was 43% of women and 32% of men, according to the annual survey of the same 17,000 people.
Report author Prof Roger Wilkins said it revealed a "very profound shift" in attitudes in the country.
"It is quite clear that community sentiment has shifted in favour of marriage equality," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
Debate over legalising same-sex marriage has intensified in Australia this week amid speculation that a government MP may soon introduce a bill to parliament.
However, Australia's ruling conservative Coalition is split on the issue, and any push to legalise same-sex marriage is likely to encounter opposition.

More progressive attitudes

The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia report is a wide-ranging annual survey commissioned by the government and run by the University of Melbourne.
On attitudes to marriage and children, it measured data between 2005 and 2015 and found most attitudes had become more progressive.
It used a scale of one (strongly disagree) to seven (strongly agree).
Males 2005Males 2015Females 2005Females 2015
Homosexual couples should have the same rights as heterosexual couples.3.34.84.05.3
It is all right for a woman to have a child as a single parent even if she doesn't want to have a stable relationship with a man.3.54.33.74.6
Children will usually grow up happier if they have a home with botha father and a mother.5.85.25.14.4
It is all right for an unmarried couple to live together even if they have no intention of marrying.5.15.65.05.6
Other key findings from the survey included that Australian wages have stagnated in recent years, people are living at home for longer, and child poverty in single-parent families is on the rise.
Last year, a government push for Australians to vote on legalising same-sex marriage in a national plebiscite was blocked by the opposition and minor parties.
Opponents of the plebiscite did not necessarily oppose legalisation, but said the vote would be costly and fuel hate campaigns. They argued the issue should be put to a parliamentary vote

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