Bill Shorten has spoken at a marriage equality rally in Melbourne, urging supporters of the yes campaign to fight “one day more” than the no campaign to help return a yes vote on the voluntary postal survey.
Thousands of people marched from the state library through Melbourne’s streets as part of the Rainbow March for Equality on Sunday.
Speaking to the crowd before the march began, Shorten praised the work of the yes campaign and asked them to keep their endurance up in the final five weeks of the vote.
Fighting for equality with @GoggleboxAU's @WayneandTom 🌈 pic.twitter.com/KVuzqly4aD
— Bill Shorten (@billshortenmp) October 1, 2017
#marriageequality #voteyes #postyouryes #loveislove #Melbourne #equallove pic.twitter.com/nicBoBmoHH
— cinegirl 14📺🌈 (@cinegirl14) October 1, 2017
“Ask yourself, have you got it within you to go one day more than the no case?” he said. “That is the contest. Are you strong enough to go one day more for the yes case than the no case?”
The Australian Bureau of Statistics will not accept any votes on the postal survey past 7 November and the results will be posted on the ABS website on 15 November.
When 90s romcoms meet activism. #voteyes #Melbourne #equallove pic.twitter.com/8GRTgQsf1z
— Michael Lucas (@MrMichaelLucas) October 1, 2017
Won’t someone please think of the heterosexuals? #MarriageEquality #voteYES @EqualLoveMelb @uhohabear pic.twitter.com/PPxFl87TiK
— Katie Purvis (@katiemelb) October 1, 2017
If the results show a majority yes vote, the finance minister, Mathias Cormann, told Sky News on Sunday, the government would facilitate bringing a private member’s bill before parliament in the final sitting weeks of the year to change the Marriage Act and allow same-sex couples to marry.
Cormann said there had been a “high level of enthusiasm” in the survey and he expected it would show a “credible participation rate”.
From this week, the ABS will publish weekly estimates of how many survey forms have been received.
Big fat @EqualLoveMelb rally wheeeee #VoteYes pic.twitter.com/I5th8B3GtO
— Tom Ballard (@TomCBallard) October 1, 2017
Shorten said he believed the yes vote was winning but added that the vote was “by no matter concluded”. He criticised what he called the “distracting arguments” of the no campaign, which have included arguing that a yes vote on marriage equality would support the safe schools program and facilitate an attack on religious freedom.
Some of the police at the Melb #VoteYes rally are wearing vests with 'Police' written in rainbow colours 🌈❤️
— Melissa Davey (@MelissaLDavey) October 1, 2017
While the crowd was gathering in Melbourne, two airborne messages, one in support of marriage equality and one against, took to the skies above Sydney and the Gold Coast.
A helicopter towing a large rainbow flag was flown across Sydney, where two weeks ago the no campaign raised $2,500 for a sky writer to write “vote no”.
I wish I had known to bring my binoculars with me for the rainbow flag helicopter today🤷🏻♀️🌈🚁 #loveislove #VoteYes pic.twitter.com/MwH3gYteKd
— Lisa Clarke (@lisaclarkephoto) October 1, 2017
At the Gold Coast in Queensland, another plane towed the message “safe schools just the start vote no”.
Go fuck yourself random Gold Coast pilot. #VoteYes pic.twitter.com/lAPXBkqqxe
— Kieran L (@kieran_shaker) October 1, 2017
Speaking at the rally in Melbourne, the Greens leader, Richard Di Natale, thanked the yes campaign for standing up for “a country that is more loving, a country that is fairer, that’s more decent”.
“Today we stand together united knowing that we have got a few more weeks left on this long journey and they’re some of the longest, most difficult weeks ahead of us,” Di Natale said. “Because we have to knock on every door. We have to make those phone calls. We have to engage our neighbours in conversation to let them know that in saying yes we take nothing away from anyone.”
