The Gay Marriage "Vote" in Australia
Did you know that gay marriage isn’t legal in Australia? Did you know that Australia is “voting” to legalize gay marriage on November 4th? Did you know that it isn’t an actual vote but an optional postal survey that will influence whether or not legislation is considered on gay marriage?
If you didn’t know all of that, now you do. Read below to learn more in simplified terms.
I was quite shocked when I got to Australia and saw rainbow posters on shop windows encouraging people to “Vote Yes!” I had assumed that gay marriage was already legal there and was really surprised that my assumption was wrong. However, during my three weeks in the country I learned a lot about the “Vote Yes!” posters and the “vote” in general. Since I find it interesting, I figured some of my friends might, too.
Now, I’m using quotations around “vote” because it is an odd vote, if we can even call it that. Australia has compulsory voting, meaning that it is illegal if citizens fail to vote. Compulsory voting at federal elections was nationally introduced in 1924. Here is a good explanation of what compulsory voting specifically means in Australia: “The requirement is for the person to enrol, attend a polling station and have their name marked off the electoral roll as attending, receive a ballot paper and take it to an individual voting booth, mark it, fold the ballot paper and place it in the ballot box. The act does not explicitly state that a choice must be made, it only states that the ballot paper be 'marked'. According to the act, how a person marks the paper is completely up to the individual.”
However, the gay marriage “vote” is actually just an optional postal survey. Initially, it was going to be a proper referendum but the Australian government handed it over to Australian Bureau of Statistics and they cannot legally conduct a vote. Hence, how Australia got to the point of a survey. Any Australian who is 18 or older and enrolled can partake in the survey and they are solely asked, “Should the law be changed to allow same sex couples to marry?”
So, cool. Australia is finally getting with the times and letting citizens be heard in regards to gay marriage. You’d think the results of this survey might change the law, right? Well, that is not the case. Nothing technically changes at all. The results of the survey could lead to a vote in Parliament. It will lead to a vote in Parliament but I believe that it isn’t a requirement. The lawmakers know that they need to listen to the public and make changes according to the desires of the majority.
It was clear to me that the majority is “voting” yes. I don’t think I ever saw an advertisement encouraging people to vote no. There was an incident in Sydney where an airplane wrote “Vote No!” in the sky and the anger and annoyance that came with that act was harsh. While in Melbourne, there was street art advocating for a yes vote. When I got to Sydney, there were street lamp banners and sidewalk art all in favor of voting yes.
Another interesting thing I learned from my Australian friends is the opinion towards the format of the survey. The younger generations were worried that a postal survey was aimed towards the older crowd. Not that many youth still use the postal service (tangent...that is a shame because mail rocks), while older folks generally do. There was some contention that the survey didn’t have an online option to make it more accessible to everyone but it turns out that fear was unnecessary. I think the younger generations feel spited in some way and are turning those feelings into action.
The surveys must all be returned by 6pm on November 7th. So far, the Yes vote is winning but there is still time for a different outcome. My fingers are crossed that the Aussies realize that love is love.
