Canberra airport lit up with rainbow lights to support same-sex marriage on Sunday, as advocates on both sides of the debate put their case before the expected introduction of a bill to make it law.
Politicians arriving for the resumption of parliament were greeted by rainbow lights and signs at the front of the airport supporting Australian Marriage Equality’s #WeCanDoThis campaign.
Canberra airport is owned by the Snow family, and the managing director of the airport, Stephen Byron, said same-sex marriage had “personal significance” for the family.
“My brother, Tom Snow, and his husband were married last year in New Zealand with their children and our extended family as witnesses. It struck me at this time how ridiculous it is that my relationship, and my wife and children, are afforded the protection and support of our government, yet Tom and his family are forced to travel overseas to get married,” Byron said.
“We hope that the rainbow image across the gateway to Australia’s national capital will have similar impact to lighting up the White House after the historic US supreme court ruling determining marriage equality in the US in June this year.
“Our family has always believed that everyone should be treated equally and given a fair go,” he said.
A crowdfunding campaign to get the #WeCanDoThis television commercial on air has raised nearly $10,000 in three days.
Opponents of same-sex marriage have also accelerated their campaign, taking out a full-page ad in the Australian newspaper on Monday.
“All relationships matter. But not all relationships are Marriage,” the advertisement by the Australian Marriage Forum said. “Find. Another. Word.”
The group, which launched its first television commercial the night before the Sydney gay and lesbian mardi gras, has urged supporters to contact their local MP to keep the current definition of marriage.
The Australian Liberal Students’ Foundation (ALSF) issued a statement saying marriage was a “fundamental building block of Australian society”.
“As debate comes to a head in parliament over the coming weeks, the ALSF will be standing side by side with our federal Liberal MPs as they advocate for the core beliefs of the party and the nation,” the statement said.
A religious group, the Christian Federation, arranged for thousands of flowers to be placed on the forecourt of Parliament House to thank the MPs opposing the proposed legislation.
A cross-party private members’ bill to change the definition of marriage to allow same-sex unions is expected to be introduced in this sitting fortnight. It has the backing of long-time marriage equality advocate and Liberal backbencher Warren Entsch, and will be co-sponsored by his colleague Teresa Gambaro, and Labor backbencher Terri Butler.
The Coalition’s official policy is to oppose same-sex marriage, though a number of front- and backbenchers have spoken publicly in support of it in recent weeks.
In the House of Representatives, more MPs have spoken publicly for same-sex marriage than against it, though a significant number are undeclared or undecided. The vote in the Senate is likely to be even closer, with its fate decided by just a handful of senators.
Labor’s position on same-sex marriage is to allow members a conscience vote. The prime minister, Tony Abbott, has yet to declare if he will also allow a free vote for Liberal MPs, saying only that the matter is one for the party room and will be decided after a bill has been brought forward.
The timing of a debate on the bill will depend on the government-dominated selection committee.
- This article was amended on 11 August 2015. The original story stated that Canberra’s Nishi building was owned by the Snow family. The Molonglo Group is the site developer of the Nishi building.
