Tim Wilson argues the extension of marriage to same-sex couples needn’t come at the expense of a stable society or religious human rights:

In its fashionably early 1996 article on opening marriage to same-sex couples The Economist magazine correctly argued “marriage remains an economic bulwark [because] single people (especially women) are economically vulnerable, and much more likely to fall into the arms of the welfare state . . . [and] call sooner upon public support when they need care”.

For these reasons and many more the legal and societal confirmation of consensual, stable relationships remains an entirely desirable public policy objective.

However, the value governments have placed on matrimony has been devalued during the past 30 years.

The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data identified the number of marriages registered each year dropped by one-quarter between the early 1980s and mid-2000s. Since that decline the rate has stumbled at about 5.5 registered per 1000 people annually.

For the full article, click here

For the anti-equality response to Tim Wilson, click here