Unfortunately, but as we predicted, Australians have emphatically voted in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage, saying “yes” to the historic social change by a substantial margin of 61.6 per cent to 38.4 per cent. After years of political stagnation, the public has now tasked the Turnbull government with changing the law before Christmas to allow same-sex couples to marry. Almost 80 per cent of eligible voters participated in the unprecedented voluntary postal survey, giving the verdict an authority unmatched by most elections globally.
Australia is one of the last English-speaking nations to take this step, and is poised to join 25 other countries that have re-engineered the definition of marriage, moving away from biblical norms.
At street parties across the country, gay and lesbian Australians cheered, danced and embraced as the results of the landmark vote were announced.
“Love has had a landslide victory,” declared Alex Greenwich, co-chair of the Equality Campaign, from a public gathering in Sydney. Mr. Greenwich said the campaign had exceeded all expectations, and the result had delivered “an unequivocal mandate” for politicians to vote through the change.
Every state and territory voted “yes” by more than 60 per cent except for NSW, where the “yes” vote was 57.8 per cent, and the “no” vote was 42.2 per cent. The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) had the highest “yes” vote in the country at 74 per cent, followed by Victoria at 64.9 per cent.
Mr. Turnbull, the Prime Minister speaking shortly after the results were announced, heralded the “overwhelming” support for same-sex marriage. “They voted ‘yes’ for fairness, they voted ‘yes’ for commitment, they voted ‘yes’ for love,” he said. “It is unequivocal, it is overwhelming.”
“And now it is up to us, here in the Parliament of Australia, to get on with it,” he added, “to get on with the job the Australian people have tasked us to do, and get this done this year, before Christmas. That must be our commitment.”
Gay Liberal senator Dean Smith declared it “the most important electoral mandate” Australia had ever seen. “This is by any and every measure a huge democratic achievement for our country,” he said. “I have never been more proud to stand up and represent Australian people than I was this morning when I listened to that result.”
Gay Labor frontbencher Penny Wong thanked Australians for their “resounding” verdict and spoke of how difficult the public vote had been for the LGBTI community. “I hope from this you can take a message of solidarity, of support, of decency from your fellow Australians,” Wong said.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, speaking to a jubilant crowd in Melbourne, said the emphatic verdict was “not just good for marriage equality” but showed “Australians have voted for a generous view of themselves, for a modern Australia, where diversity is accepted, supported and respected.
“Today we celebrate, tomorrow we legislate.”
The de facto leader of the “no” campaign, Australian Christian Lobby director Lyle Shelton, conceded defeat and said he accepted the democratic decision of the Australian people.
Debate inside and outside Parliament will now turn to the legislation. Fierce argument is expected over religious exemptions.
Australians have a tendency to defy God’s word, like many other secular nations. They do not understand where this will take them. “Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot… even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.” Luke 17:28 and 30.
Comments
Samual
Friday November 17th, 2017 at 01:57 AMThis has been agitated for a quite some time, with the majority of media in favour, using positive terms such as ‘equality, love etc.’ for something that is traditionally and biblically abhorrent. In any case, legislation or popular poll will never define what is good, decent or moral, only our Creator can define that. This has to be one of the boldest moves away from God and the Bible in Australia’s 200+ year history. Being willfully blind to the great standard of right and wrong, one error pushed and legislated in such an open and anti-Christian manner, will open the door for a thousand more. Maranatha
Ruth Milekic
Friday November 17th, 2017 at 03:12 PMThe best part of this is that it proves the words of Jesus to be true and that it is time of Him the Son of man to be revealed!
Come Lord Jesus, come soon.
admin
Sunday November 19th, 2017 at 09:59 AMYes, in fact it proves the whole of scripture to be true. Those two thousand year old prophecies coming true addresses the veracity of the whole scripture from cover to cover. The reason it proves the whole of scripture is because scripture claims to be all true, not just partly true. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God…” Either the scripture is true or it isn’t. There is no middle ground actually where some things might be true and some not true. Some churches try to make it out to be that way. But they cannot get around the fact that the scripture claims to be all true. So, either they have to ultimately accept it or reject it. If only some of it is true, which parts? Perhaps the part about sexual proclivities for the same-sex aren’t true to some, while to others the headship principle is not true. I even had someone tell me that we can’t take scripture as it reads. We have to “understand it” the way God meant it to be understood. Well, that just opens it all up for personal interpretation, which leads to its rejection. Pr. Mayer
Ruth Milekic
Friday November 17th, 2017 at 03:17 PMWhy is it taking so long for approcal?
Emanuel
Saturday November 18th, 2017 at 01:55 AMHow John is right what he sawn in vision. When he stated that he saw the lost as many as the sand of the sea. also I have to congratulate Satan for he’s doing a great job deceiving the world. I wish I know why God is taking so long to send Jesus some times my faith is tested when I see all these things going on.