Julia Gillard has opened the door to the nation’s first legal same-sex marriage laws, removing obstacles to the social agenda of the Australian Greens despite her personal opposition to gay unions.
And the Greens, whose support the Prime Minister relies on to maintain her minority government, are also pressing Labor to facilitate a conscience vote aimed at reversing a 1997 bill that outlawed Northern Territory euthanasia laws.
As the Prime Minister yesterday agreed to back a Greens push to water down the commonwealth’s ability to veto laws made by territories, the ACT Greens quickly moved to capitalise on her decision, foreshadowing a fresh campaign to legalise same-sex marriage.
ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope said he expected his Labor team would support the Greens in the ACT Legislative Assembly and predicted it would have the numbers to endorse a pro-euthanasia bill, although he would not vote for such a move. The moves came as Ms Gillard, working with the Greens to put a price on carbon by adopting their preferred position of a carbon tax as an interim measure, hardened her resolve on the issue amid continuing opposition accusations that she lied about her intentions before last year’s election.
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