A majority of Australians have voted in support of same-sex marriage after a lengthy and often ugly debate.
After weeks of campaigning, months of planning and years debate, the results of the controversial three-month-long postal survey revealed 61.6 per cent of people voted ‘yes’ and 38.4 per cent ‘no’.
The question asked simply: “Should the law be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry?”
However, the poll, carried out by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, is not legally binding and voluntary, which is not typical in the country.
While it is purely a guide for politicians on how to treat the issue in Parliament, the huge 80 per cent turn-out and the clear majority will put pressure on the Government to act.
Shortly after the ‘yes’ result was revealed, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull stated that his goal remained to have legislation to change the Marriage Act passed through the parliament before Christmas.
“It is our job now to get on with it, get on with it and get this done. It is fair,” he told reporters in Canberra.
“The people have voted yes for marriage equality. Now it is our job to deliver it.”
The campaign has been marked by negative campaigning by the ‘No’ campaign that critics have condemned as bordering on hysterical, with conservative politicians lining up with churches fearing religion is under attack.
One advert attacking gay marriage depicted a woman claiming it could lead to her son wearing a dress to school, which was dismissed as “patently ridiculous”.
But a United Nations committee last week criticised Australia for putting gays and lesbians “through an unnecessary and divisive public opinion poll”, and called on Australia to legislate for marriage equality regardless of the survey’s outcome.
People from across the world celebrated the news, including politicians and celebrities.
What happens now Australia has voted ‘yes’ to gay marriage?
The marriage equality process will then return to Canberra, and require the parliament to agree to allow same-sex marriage.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has promised that, in the event of a yes vote, his Government “will facilitate a private member’s Bill to make same-sex marriage legal before the end of the year”.
Most of the Parliament has promised to vote ‘yes’ on any parliamentary vote if the result was ‘yes’, so any legislation should easily pass.
However, around 30 per cent of the politicians in both houses either failed to tell pollsters their voting intention or said they had reservations about legalising same-sex marriage, while seven MPs flat out said they would vote no even if the entire country voted yes.
