The phrase we’ve probably heard the most during the (never-ending) same-sex marriage debate has been “religious freedoms”.
Although the concept is often framed as a positive, in many cases it actually diminishes existing anti-discrimination laws. Some of the requested exemptions would make it okay to discriminate against a gay couple in ways you’d never be able to discriminate against a gay individual.
After a ferocious debate, which waged until 11pm, most of the conservative amendments to the same-sex marriage bill were voted down by large margins.
The Dean Smith bill already allows priests and other religious celebrants to refuse to wed same-sex couple on the basis of their faith, but many conservatives wanted this liberty extended to civil celebrants with “conscientious objection”.
That exemption was defeated 25-38, but not before Senator Ian Macdonald lost his cool and called his co-workers a bunch of “numpties”.
“I’m exercising an informed vote on this, unlike those numpties over there, who are just doing what they are being told to do,” he interjected before being told to sit down by the Chair.
Another amendment that would have extended a “right of any person” to “manifest his or her religion” was defeated 27 – 36.
The minority started to get testy as the night dragged on and they continued to lose vote after vote. Macdonald criticised Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson for wearing a marriage equality badge in the Chair and Abetz nagged Greens and Labor senators for looking at the phones and leaving the chamber while he spoke.
The fight isn’t quite over yet, with the Senate still needing to vote on amendments from One Nation, the Greens and David Leyonhjelm but it’s looking likely the bill will pass the Senate without a single substantive changes.
Attorney-General George Brandis gave a moving speech on what the law will mean for Australia.
“At last, Australia will no longer be insulting gay people by saying different rules apply to you,” Senator Brandis told his upper house colleagues.
“After centuries of prejudice, discrimination, rejection and ridicule, it is both an expiation for past wrongs and a final act of acceptance and embrace.”
