Australian Marriage Equality today welcomed the decision by the NSW Nurses & Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) to get behind the marriage equality campaign in the lead up to a possible national plebiscite.

“We welcome the support of the NSWMA to work alongside AME in achieving equality for every Australian”, Australian Marriage Equality, National Spokesperson, Shirleene Robinson said.

“NSWMA recognises that marriage equality is about real people, their families, friends, colleagues and the inspiring people they care for on a daily basis.

“While we believe marriage equality can be achieved by a simple vote in the parliament, if a plebiscite is imposed upon us, we welcome the support and backing from organisations like the NSWNMA”, Dr Robinson said.

“The notion to support the fight for marriage equality was put to our delegates at our 71st Annual Conference and passed overwhelmingly”, said Brett Holmes, General Secretary, NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association.

“All Australians deserve the right to equality and to have loving relationships recognised by law. A same sex partner should have recognised legal rights when it comes to dealing with births and deaths and other times of crisis or joy.

“We also believe our members in same sex relationships should have those very same rights as the rest of the community, which is why the NSWNMA is supporting the campaign to recognise same-sex relationships under the law. The NSWNMA believes in equitable access to healthcare, regardless of your sexual preference”, Mr Holmes said.

“The NSWMA represents workers dedicated to caring for Australians from all walks of life and they recognise that allowing every Australian to marry the person they love can only strengthen our society”, Dr Robinson concluded.

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ABOUT THE NSWMA: The New South Wales Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) is the registered union for all nurses and midwives in New South Wales. The NSWNMA works in association with the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) and has approximately 62,000 members.