Pink vote impacts on poll
While the final outcome is still unknown, the weekend’s federal election looks to have been a good result for friends and allies of the GLBTI community.
The Greens recorded a swing of nearly 4 percent towards their party nationally, taking the seat of Melbourne from Labor and recording their highest primary vote in a seat — 36.1 percent — in any election.
The GLBTI-friendly Liberal Malcolm Turnbull increased his share of the vote in Wentworth despite a small swing to the Greens. He will be joined by Queensland Liberal National Party MP Warren Entsch, who has returned to Parliament after coming out of retirement. Entsch famously spoke out against his own Government’s ban on same-sex marriage in 2004.
In Sydney the Greens recorded a swing of 3.1 percent against returning MP Tanya Plibersek, a traditional friend of the GLBTI community who has taken a lot of flak for refusing to publicly support same-sex marriage.
In Grayndler, former Marrickville mayor Sam Byrne has made the seat marginal and has an outside chance of toppling Labor’s Anthony Albanese in a recount to win the Greens a second seat in the House of Representatives.
Counting continues in Denison where independent Andrew Wilkie, a former Green, is battling to take the Tasmanian seat from Labor.
To form Government in a hung parliament, a major party must be able to secure a coaltion of at least 76 seats.
The Greens’ new Melbourne MP, Adam Bandt, has indicated he will support Labor forming Government, while three rural independents have indicated they will be looking for stability in deciding who to back — possibly a nod to the Greens’ large presence in the Senate. In the last parliament two of these independents, Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor, voted more often with the Government than with the Coalition.
Family First senator Steve Fielding was not re-elected, but could be replaced by John Madigan from the socially conservative Democratic Labor Party.
However, Madigan and remaining independent senator Nick Xenophon’s votes would be largely irrelevant in the Senate where ABC election analyst Antony Green is predicting nine Greens, two independents, 31 ALP, and 34 Coalition senators.
Thirty-nine votes are required for a bill to pass the Senate.
Australian Marriage Equality’s Alex Greenwich said the increase in the Greens vote was a lesson for Labor.
“The message is clear,” Greenwich said. “Labor must stop opposing marriage equality if it is to win back the trust and support of the Australian community and the Greens have a clear mandate to achieve marriage equality.
“The 2010 election campaign saw the issue of marriage equality move to the centre of the political stage, and now the result has seen achieving marriage equality move into the realms of real possibility.”
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young promised to introduce a bill to legalise same-sex marriage as her first priority after the election. However, this will most likely not occur until after July 1 2011 so the newly-elected Greens senators can vote.
I think the most important thing to come out of this election will be that it is that there really wasn’t much between the ALP and Labor, when it came right down to it. And the gay vote could turn a seat like Grayndler, A lot of people didn’t want to “waste” their vote on the Greens. I think it has been shown that it would not be a waste, the seat is now marginal, and we can carry it and others.
Peter, I’m reliably informed that Daryl Melham was one of only 4 Labor MP’s to vote against the marraige ban in caucus back in 2004. I lived in Banks at the time. The boundary redistribution this year, now places me in Hughes.
On the overall picture, the Greens did very well (+3.7% to 11.5%), however middle Sydney didn’t really go for them.
In the seats surrounding Banks the Green increased by +1.5% to around 7%… If you take out Banks and Watson, it’s lower (+ 0.6%, to around 5.5%).
I reckon the majority of the Green vote in middle Sydney was a protest vote against Labor and Liberal.
I handed out flyers for the Greens in Hughes (probably go back to ALP next time). A voter in East Hills said to me, he wouldn’t vote Liberal due to Workchoices, nor Labor because of what they did to Rudd, so he was voting Green for the 1st time.
Personally I think they are both pretty stupid reasons, but nevertheless. My point is, I don’t think marraige equality was part of his agenda.
Leaving aside the significant Green win in Melbourne, and a few close results in other parts of the country. The Pink vote really only plays a very slight role in 2 Sydney seats (Grayndler and Sydney), everywhere else in NSW (and Australia) is still very Red, White and Blue.
Green supporters need to realise this and start developing policies for the large disenchanted electorates, especially in Middle Sydney. Marraige equality is not a huge issue for them, although I sincerely doubt they would change their vote either way for or against it.
As a one-time party member and union rep, and long-term CSN carer who now volunteers in mental health, I usually vote Labor. I actually assisted Maxine McKew in her 2007 campaign. It was the refusal by her, Daryl Melham (my MP), Gillard (and all but I think, two ALP members) to support same-sex marriage. So much for the old party of “social justice”! So I voted Green. Go Adam!!
Luke, the Special Interest party in parliament is the Liberal Party, and their two special interests are big business and heterosexuals.
lets face the facts…..Neither Tony”gays make me nervous” Abbott, and Julia”going to pander my unmarried,living in sin,self to the bogans by wearing my NO GAY MARRIAGE” banner are going to do it for us. Neither will un-do much of anything that has been done for us, either. So we are going to have to change the leadership of one or both parties, OR we are going to have to change who runs the place.
We just need to take control of the seat of Grayndler next go round with an openly pro Gay candidate who will support Gay Marriage.
Nathan, I hope you’re as proud of your dad as he is, obviously, of you. His calm but impassioned plea brought tears to my eyes.
Love from Hell xoxoxo
Can you imagine Bob Katter as Foreign Minister and the Mad Monk as Minister for IT and Parallel Universes?
Even though Adam Bandt and the Greens keep mentioning Gay Marriage, it’s still not discussed by the Media and talk Back Radio.
No mention of the Sex Party who also championed GLBTI rights and had a larger percentage of gay and lesbian candidates than any party including the Greens. From a standing start they managed to come fourth in most states in the Senate and are still in the race for the last Senate seat in Vic. Sex Party preferences got the Greens Lee Rhiannon up in NSW. Their first time vote of 2% was better than the 1.6% that the Greens got in their first go…unbelievable.
Rob 1966, The Howard government sanctioned discrimination in federal legislation for 12 years while in government, and one of the first things labor did when they came to power was remove that discrimination. So to say that Abbott is ‘open to … removing discrimination in federal legislation’ is frankly a joke. Both labor and and the coalition see marriage as purely symbolic, which is a huge problem, but at least labor saw fit to ensure that under federal law all couples are equal. If the coalition had their way, my partner of 12 years and I would still be considered single for taxation purposes, for example. So don’t be fooled into thinking that both sides of politics are the same just because they both refuse to rethink the gay marriage issue.
And Luke – I don’t even know where to begin – the Greens have complex policies, they’re not a ‘single interest group’ (which I can only assume is what you meant when you described them as a ‘special interest group’); many of their policies are related to social justice; and the environment is important – if we don’t deal with it, people will suffer, so it’s not simply about putting whales above people.
The Greens only got ONE lower house seat- next time if they get a few seats & it’s a hung paliament, then it could solely be the Greens negotiating to form a minority govt, instead of the Independants.
The Greens may still get two lower house seats though- pending the re-count of Anthony Albanese’s seat. (In the senate they got 9 seats).
@Luke the Greens got money from 1 union in the state of victoria not even all the branches for its direct opposition to the internationally illegal ABCC. The logic that the Greens would automatically line up with Labor on that basis is ridiculous. The Greens get money from families you didn’t see them lining up with family first in the senate. Adam Bandt’s decision comes in part from the fact that all progressive queer reform in this country has come from Labor both state and federal with one exception of the Jeff Kennett government. If we want progressive change the left must unite. Gay marriage will NEVER happen under the conservatives. Julia most probably does believe in gay marriage but didn’t want it to become a wedge issue. I’m not saying that’s principled or I agree with her stance but sometimes it’s more prudent to say what your party’s position is and then try to change it after an election.
good to see the green bloke at the National Press Conference today – his first comment to the floor was that the situation with same sex marriage is a major priority for him and it will be on his things to do
namely – legislation change to allow it
Firstly, you use the term GLBTI-friendly Liberal Malcolm Turnbull. Why was it last election SX ran a front cover with an ANTI TURNBULL picture? Has he really changed he’s view or is it just a fascade to keep the local gays on side?
Also, In Grayndler, former Marrickville mayor Sam Byrne has a chance. When will this be confirmed?
Nathan,
Your Dad put it on the mind of Tony Abbott in a way I think no person has. He was amazing!
Lots of people who were once homophobic have got over their ignorance. I hope Labor and Liberal will soon.
No surprise that Adam Bandt will go with Labor
Dont the Greens receive union funding
I hope when people see the terrible senate nightmare that the Greens create they boot them out the next chance they get
More independants for the senate is much better for our country than special interest groups like the Greens
Bob Brown on election night was more worried about whale births than people He wants 16 year olds to vote next it will be whales
Regardless of who ultimately wins Govt, same sex marriage equality is now firmly on the agenda.
The Greens are still our only hope and are a true friend of our community.
Congratulations to everyone who has helped the equality cause. Every single email and phone call counts and helps move public opinion.
The only way we will get full equality is with public support. It is so important to change the opinions of our families and friends and try to get them to support a gay friendly candidate.
My dad was once homophobic and yet he was the vietnam vet who asked Tony Abbott on National TV (Q and A) when was he going to allow his gay son to marry. That moves public opinion. GO DAD!!!
Peace to all
x
Given that Gillard has openly stated on several occasions that same-sex couples “will never get married while I’m in charge” I’m not exactly hanging out for a Labor led minority government!
Abbott’s appearance on the ABC’s Q&A – whilst including a rather embarassing “gay humour” moment – did suggest that he is open to considering options for same-sex relationship reform, and certainly for removing discrimination in federal legislation.
Remember to that several elected Liberal MPs have openly stated support for same-sex “marriage” – the same cannot be said for Labor!
So we can all celebrate the mad monk becoming PM along with Katter on his side and together they will have 11 months before the Senate changes to utterly destroy the country and make life for GLBTI people who are poor, homeless, dependent on centrelink, suicidal, and elderly hideously unbearable. I am not popping the champagne corks.
This is a huge wake up call- the major parties are going to have to rethink thier treatment of us as 2nd class citizens.
Just look at Julia Gillard’s comments 2 days before the election- “You will never get marriage while I’m in charge”.
Yep- big wake up call that had to happen.