NSW passes marriage equality!

Thursday 31st of May 2012, write it down people! This is the day that Green's member Cate Faehrmann's motion for NSW Legislative Council to amend the marriage act passed.

The final vote was 22 to 16, which means that NSW is now officially calling on the Commonwealth to support marriage equality. We are not alone with Tasmania and the ACT having passed similar motions.

“This is a great day. I congratulate my NSW Upper House colleagues for their leadership. Today we are on the right side of history,” says Faehrmann.

“For the first time MPs from all major parties have joined together to vote in favour of marriage equality. Yes, this was a symbolic motion, but it is immensely significant. Today we have given voice to the majority of NSW citizens who don’t want our marriage laws to discriminate.”

Denying anyone the right to marry who they love is ludicrous, she adds. “It’s last century and it’s time our Federal Parliament caught up. The NSW Legislative Council, Australia’s oldest House of Parliament, has shown great leadership in sending this clear message to the Commonwealth today.”

The full details of the amendment are below

That this House:
(a) supports marriage equality
(b) calls on the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia to amend the Commonwealth Marriage Act 1961 to provide for marriage equality.
(c) notes that Article 18 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides that “everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance”,
(d) calls on all participants in the debate on marriage equality to treat those with differing views with respect, dignity and tolerance, and
(e) calls for any amendment to the Marriage Act 1961 (Cth) to ensure that religious institutions are not forced to solemnise marriages they do not wish to.

Congratulations to NSW hopefully with a state this large supporting marriage equality other states will follow suite (we won't hold our breath for QLD just yet!)