File: johnfgtcena.jpg (12 KB, 180x252) Image search: [Google]

12 KB, 180x252

Same-sex unions are treated as de facto unions under the Australian federal law, though each Australian state and territory is entitled to create their own laws with respect to same-sex relationship registers and same-sex partnership schemes. Same-sex couples are prevented from marrying by the definition of marriage contained within the federal Marriage Act (1961), as amended in 2004 by the Howard Government.

As of 2015, 16 attempts have been made to amend the Marriage Act so as to legalise same-sex marriage, all of which have been unsuccessful. In December 2013 the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) briefly legalised same-sex marriage at a territory-based level, though the Federal Government launched a challenge in the High Court and the ACT legislation was struck down on the basis that laws with respect to marriage were a constitutionally exclusive power of the Commonwealth. The current policy of the Coalition Government is to conduct a national plebiscite on the issue in 2016, following this year's federal election. The opposition Labor Party supports same-sex marriage in its national platform (though allows its parliamentary members a conscience vote on same-sex marriage legislation until 2019) and current party leader Bill Shorten has pledged to introduce a Marriage Equality Bill in the parliament within 100 days of taking office if elected to government at the next election.

1/3 Austrialians are homophobic making them a minority. My question is why is this even an issue given those statistics, one of the last issues to complete equality in Australia and penny wong of SA is against the idea of a plebiscite stating homophobia before there's even a vote