Following a postal ballot to indicate levels of engagement, the people of Australia have overwhelmingly voted to legalise same sex marriage. With almost 80% turnout, all states and territories voted in favour of a change in the legal status of marriage
Politician, Bill Shorten, spoke to a large crowd in Melbourne saying; “today we celebrate, tomorrow we legislate. What this shows is unconditional love always has the last word. It may have been 61% who voted yes but you are 100% loved and valued and as of the next few weeks in parliament 100% able to marry the people you love.”
Final results from the postal survey:
Yes: 61.6%
No: 38.4%
The campaign has not been without controversies, though, particularly for religious groups who have not been granted permission to exclude themselves from same sex marriage ceremonies. The Catholic Church in Australia has made clear it’s views: marriage is between a man and a woman. However, the Church does recognise that there are other legal relationships that people may enter into.
