Australia is now off to the polls, two and a half years after the last one, three Prime Minister’s later and marriage equality is shaping as one of the many key differences between the two major parties.
The Prime Minister of Australia Malcolm Turnbull visited the Governor General yesterday to declare a double dissolution of parliament and a 55-day election campaign.
The parties have had their marriage equality policies clear for many months.
The Labor Party led by Bill Shorten have made it clear that within 100 days of being elected they will re-introduce the marriage equality bill and have it passed by both houses of parliament.
On the other hand, the Liberal National Party Coalition are sitting on the fence and have declared that they will conduct a plebiscite if they retain government with the public to decide whether a change to the Marriage Act will occur.
It is assumed that through either process same-sex marriage will finally become legal in Australia but there are still some roadblocks under both models that may need to be avoided.
If a plebiscite is held then the Country will become divided and those against a change have already signalled they will unleash a nasty scare campaign to push the status quo.
A Labor victory seems more likely as long as they win government in their own right.
Opinion Polls are all pointing to a tight election with most showing the parties neck and neck at 50% each.
If Labor doesn’t have a majority and needs support from independents in the parliament to get their legislation through then it may come down to negotiating with the crossbenchers to get anything through, including the marriage equality bill.
It’s going to be a long three months.
Last Updated on May 9, 2016
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