Marriage equality advocates announce plebiscite High Court challenge
Image: Andrew Wilkie. Image: Facebook.
THE proposed postal plebiscite for marriage equality is to be challenged in the High Court.
Independent Member for Denison, Andrew Wilkie, was joined this afternoon by marriage equality advocate Rodney Croome, PFLAG national spokesperson Shelley Argent and lesbian mum Felicity Marlowe to announce a High Court challenge to the plebiscite.
The group will be represented by Ron Merkel QC.
Argent said a voluntary postal plebiscite is “designed to fail” and that she “doesn’t need a lawyer” to tell her the proposed plebiscite is unconstitutional.
Marlowe said she is “desperately worried” about the impact a plebiscite campaign would have.
In light of the plebiscite bill being vote down by the Senate earlier today, a postal plebiscite is likely to go ahead through the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and will see ballots sent out from September 12 with a result declared by November 25, allowing a parliamentary vote before the end of the year.
However, the High Court challenge could stand in its way.
The postal plebiscite is estimated to cost $122 million, and has drawn criticism from MPs and advocates who say the money could be better spent.
If you’d like to help raise funds for the High Court challenge, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/high-court-postal-vote-challenge
I will be posting back an application to forfeit my Australian citizenship.
The so called ‘test’ for this is based upon our values and laws purporting to respect all Australians equally…
And so to make sure you pass, just answer to pander to the values of this government- “except lgbti people- as they are second class Australians”…
Perhaps mass applications for such may get the message across better…
Typically Federal politicians, notably from the Coalition, and to her everlasting Shame the ALP’s ever-vocal Penny Wong who has been spouting all her Pro-Equality, Pro Same Gender Marriage, Pro-GLTBIQ rhetoric for years only to show that she has feet of clay in opposing the Plebiscite for purely politically motivated and politically opportunistic reasons. She did not even have the guts or the decency to abstain.
Now at least two decent, honest Federal politicians are going to challenge this every bit as absurd Voluntary Postal Plebiscite in the High Court.
Abbott set the whole Plebiscite farce up because he knew that had we have been unlucky enough to still be cursed with him as Prime Minister he would simply have ignored the result if it had not gone his homophobic, bigoted way. That is how Plebiscites work: They are NOT Binding on any Government.
Why Turnbull went along with this farce is anyone’s guess, like Penny Wong, he has been a long-time supporter of Same Gender Marriage so why did he simply not, as we have become so accustomed to our politicians doing – especially from the ALP and Liberals – break that absurd Promise? Her would have been Congratulated and even if it had cost him the Prime Ministership (BUT who the Hell have they got to replace him with? Abbott? Dutton? – not in a million years) at least he would have gone out with his head held high and the respect of millions.
Of course it is designed to fail. That is exactly why Tony Abbott cursed us with a plebiscite in the first place. Yes it is unconstitutional and yes it will be very damaging and dividing. Many people won’t bother to vote by post, especially millennials, and the religious right will vote in droves and multiple times. The whole thing is a colossal joke and we continue to look ridiculous on the world stage.