It might not be the most important issue, but it is one of the most unstoppable.
In this week’s Q&A on Monday night, Bob Katter’s ad attacking Campbell Newman for supporting gay marriage was the first topic of discussion. Even though it’s good to see that this relic from a fifties mentality has met with widespread loathing and rejection, it is in itself shocking to see how a topic like gay marriage can still take centre stage in the Australian political landscape of 2012.
As a Dutchman who has been part of Australian life and society for more than nine years, I sometimes have to think hard about what makes Australians different from the Dutch – bar the stereotypes but let’s not go there. When I came to Australia in 2002, I expected to start a new life in a nation that, being a modern Western society just like The Netherlands, was looking forward to embrace the twenty-first century wholeheartedly.
To send a submission to the parliamentary inquiries on marriage equality, click here.