THE federal Labor backbencher Stephen Jones’s gay marriage bill faces a tough passage through Parliament. If passed, it will then face High Court scrutiny. Advocates of same-sex marriage must be prepared for a long fight.
Jones’s bill is short and to the point. The law defines ”marriage” as ”the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life”. The bill changes the opening words to ”the union of two people, regardless of their sex”.