Webdiary columnist Polly Bush is our expert on Howard’s gay marraige/gay adoption wedge play. Her previous pieces on the saga include Another Let’s-Attack-A-Minority-Group-Wheel of Fortune, by John Howard and Keeping it queer.
When the Prime Minister today announced yet another attempt at amending the Marriage Act to exclude gay couples, it was fitting for the PM to launch it at a conference for the National Marriage Coalition, a group set up by the Australian Family Association, the Australian Christian Lobby and the Fatherhood Foundation
Whenever there’s a contentious issue involving gay and lesbian Australians (or a not so contentious issue like Playschool’s two mums reference) the media love to run to the Australian Family Association’s Bill Muehlenberg for a good gay bashing quote. It’s extraordinarily predictable.
This new amendment, to be introduced in the next fortnight in parliament, will be a third time lucky attempt by the Government to ensure this issue gets a good run in time for the election. It will also again test the ALP’s position.
The Prime Minister, of course, said the opposite at today’s conference, stating his reintroduction of the Bill was to actually avoid it becoming an election issue!
“I think it would be a great pity if this issue were left hanging in an election campaign,” the PM said.
A great pity indeed. Howard’s reference to the issue being “left hanging” is about a Senate Committee’s examination of the Bill, which has a reporting date of October 7.
The Labor Party supported the initial Marriage Amendment, but referred it to the Senate’s legal Committee for community input and further examination.
Despite the Senate’s review, the Attorney-General tried to re-introduce the Bill shortly before parliament last finished sitting. Labor again supported it, but the Bill was defeated in the Senate in favour of the Committee process (see Another Let’s-Attack-A-Minority-Group-Wheel of Fortune, by John Howard).
The initial bill was tied to an amendment banning gay couples from overseas adoption rights, which the Labor Party did not support. The solution for the Howard Government? Separate the adoption amendment and try the Marriage wedge once again.
But like his Attorney-General in the House of Representatives June debate, the Prime Minister today denied that gay marriage was a “wedge” issue:
“In putting it into law in the next two weeks nobody can say it’s being used as a wedge, nobody can say it’s a diversion, everybody can say it’s a united expression of the national parliament and therefore of the will of the Australian people.”
According to ABC online, Labor’s Nicola Roxon has once again lent her party’s support to the amendment, indicating this time the ALP may pass the bill. Roxon reportedly told the forum:
“Labor’s position about gay marriage is clear and unequivocal and from the Prime Minister’s statements today it sounds like the major parties will be voting for this Bill some time in the next fortnight. I’m sure that you will all welcome that.”
In response, the Equal Rights Network’s Rodney Croome has predicted Labor will be the big loser if it side-steps the Committee process. Croome said:
There’s only one consequence of this decision electorally – Labor will lose votes. The people who may have voted Labor who now won’t are gay and lesbian people in inner-city Melbourne and Sydney. They’ll be much more likely now to vote Democrat or Green and Labor will lose their primary votes.
Croome’s right – such a decision by Labor will upset the gay and lesbian community. In an email to Mark Latham and Nicola Roxon, JOYFM newsreader Doug Pollard today wrote that was time for the real Mark Latham to stand up:
Dear Mark and Nicola,
I hope the reports I’m reading – that you are displaying your yellow streak and cutting and running from the gay marriage issue – are wrong. The Senate Enquiry is in place and working and neither you nor the Prime Minister should pre-empt its conclusions at the behest of a few toxic self-styled pseudo-Christians and Bob Santamaria leftovers.
I thought the point of having you, Mark, as leader of the Labor Party, was to have someone with guts (not just A gut) in the job. First you poodle up to the free trade agreement and now this. It’s time you stopped listening to those insipid ‘advisors’, whoever they may be, as well as what the press are bleating on about, and reverted to your true fighting style. You’ll not win an election by trotting after wee Johnny wagging your tail and yapping “Me too! Me too!
Listen to your inner Paul Keating instead and go for his ankles!
And it’s no good saying you’ll fix it up after the election: you know damn well that if you get in having supported this, it’ll be well nigh impossible to change course. You’ve got to put your money on the table now.
Doug Pollard, Writer, Presenter & Producer, Breakfast News & Rainbow Reports online, Joy Melbourne 94.9FM – Australia’s first and only 24/7 GLBTI Community Radio Station”
Despite Howard’s denials this is a wedge issue, it’s just another wedge in the election mix.
Yesterday, by supporting the FTA, Labor leader Mark Latham threw Howard’s main American alliance wedge back at Howard by insisting on more protection for the PBS. Today, Howard threw the gay wedge back at Latham. Don’t you just love elections?