By TESS IKONOMOU
The proposal to legalise same-sex marriage is a hotly contested issue.
Despite the thousands of Australians calling for same-sex marriage to be legalised, the issue has reached a stalemate in Parliament.
Following the outcome of the recent vote that determined the Coalition would retain its opposition to the legalisation of same sex marriage, Parliament has seen multiple members vow to cross the floor over the issue.
http://polldaddy.com/poll/9038583/
Prime Minister Tony Abbott told journalists at a New South Wales doorstop interview he believed a plebiscite was the ideal way to settle this contentious matter.
“I believe that we’ve got a very good way forward, a very fair way forward. What could be fairer than asking the people to tell us what they think on this and agreeing to be bound by whatever the outcome of that people’s vote is? What could be fairer than that?”
The notion of holding a referendum has been dismissed by both the Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten.
Referendums are notoriously hard to pass in Australia, considering only eight of the 44 questions put to the people have been agreed to since federation.
In Australia, a referendum is held on constitutional issues and the result is binding on the government. A plebiscite is a national vote and is used as advice, without legal force.
As of 2015, Australia is one of the last liberal democracies to have not recognised same-sex marriage. England, Ireland, Canada, and the US have all legalised gay marriage.
The results are in: You had your say on whether indigenous Australians should be recognised in the Constitution as the original inhabitants.
There were 67 responses to Mojonews’ first political poll. A clear majority voted "yes" to the question – 64 per cent of participants.
However, there was still a sizeable number of people who voted "no" – 36 per cent.
Based on the results, indigenous leaders and advocates may face a larger opposition than originally anticipated if the referendum is held in 2017.