• Advertise
  • About us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Contact us
Monday, July 14, 2025
Australian Times News
  • News
    • Weather
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Business & Finance
      • Currency Zone
    • Lotto Results
      • The Lott
  • Lifestyle
    • Entertainment
    • Horoscopes
    • Health & Wellness
    • Recipes
  • Travel
  • Expat Life
  • Move to Australia
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Weather
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Business & Finance
      • Currency Zone
    • Lotto Results
      • The Lott
  • Lifestyle
    • Entertainment
    • Horoscopes
    • Health & Wellness
    • Recipes
  • Travel
  • Expat Life
  • Move to Australia
No Result
View All Result
Australian Times News
No Result
View All Result
Home News

High Court gives go-ahead for marriage equality ballot

Immediately after the decision, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told parliament he encouraged every Australian to have their say in the ballot, repeated that he and his wife Lucy would be voting yes, and turned on Bill Shorten.

Michelle Grattan by Michelle Grattan
07-09-2017 08:39
in News

The High Court has struck down the challenges to the same-sex marriage ballot, clearing the way for voting papers to start going out next week.

The court’s decision was handed down at 2:15pm (AEST) while Question Time was on in federal parliament. Malcolm Turnbull received the result via a text.

It comes as a huge relief to the government, which would have been left scratching for a back-up plan if the ballot had been declared unconstitutional.

The seven judges were unanimous, and costs were awarded against those who brought the challenges.

A central argument mounted against the survey was that it was not legal to fund it out of the advance to the finance minister, which is supposed to be used for “unforeseen” and “urgent” expenditure.

Immediately after the decision, Turnbull told parliament he encouraged every Australian to have their say in the ballot, repeated that he and his wife Lucy would be voting yes, and turned on Bill Shorten.

Turnbull said that Shorten had “done everything he could in this parliament to stop Australians having their say. Much to his disappointment now, every Australian will have their say.”

AlsoRead...

The Broker who says ‘Yes’ when Banks say NO

The Broker who says ‘Yes’ when Banks say NO

8 July 2025
Leading with Trust: Why Quality still wins in the AI Era

Leading with Trust: Why Quality still wins in the AI Era

5 June 2025

Labor, Greens and crossbenchers prevented the government’s original plan for a compulsory plebiscite passing parliament. This led to its resorting to the voluntary postal vote, which is being done by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

Turnbull said that unlike Shorten, “I respect every Australian’s view on this matter. And I thoroughly reject the way in which he has sought to vilify and demonise people who have a different view to him.”

Shorten asked Turnbull to join him in writing to all Australians urging a yes vote. But Turnbull said: “The leader of the opposition can make his case and I’ll make mine”.

Attorney-General George Brandis and Acting Special Minister of State Mathias Cormann welcomed the decision, saying in a statement they had always been confident the process met relevant requirements.

The ministers said the government would now quickly move with proposed legislation “to provide for relevant additional safeguards to complement existing legal protections and to support the fair and proper conduct” of the ballot.

This legislation will go to matters such as authorisation of material but not to the content of advertising.

Cormann said he would reach out over the weekend to stakeholders, parties and interested MPs about legislation that he’d hope – if agreement could be reached – to bring in next week.

“We would seek to align the protections available in this process as much as possible to what would apply in the context of an election”, he said.

But shadow attorney-general Mark Dreyfus said the protections should be more extensive than those in elections.

Before the decision, the ABS told a Senate hearing it had spent A$14.1 million so far, of which $8 million had been spent on media. The government has put the total cost of the ballot at $122 million.

Despite the uncertainty over whether the ballot would survive, the challenges campaigning from both the yes and no sides has been in full swing.

Nearly 100,000 new voters have enrolled for the ballot, two-thirds of them in the youngest voting group. Hundreds of thousands of people have updated their enrolment details, suggesting considerable interest in the vote. There are 16 million on the roll.

The postal survey information line has received more than 81,000 phone calls.

Ballot papers start to go on September 12, and the mail out should be completed by September 22. Voting papers must be in by November 7, although people are being told to return ballots by October 27. The result will be announced at 11.30am November 15. The government has said if there is a yes result, it will facilitate a private member’s bill to legalise same sex marriage.

The ConversationThe question on the ballot paper will be: “Should the law be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry?”

By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

TOP IMAGE: Malcolm Turnbull received the result via a text during question time.
(Mick Tsikas/AAP)

Tags: Australian Marriage EqualityAustralian politicsgay and lesbian (LGBT)gay marriageMalcolm Turnbullmarriagemarriage equality
DMCA.com Protection Status

SUBSCRIBE to our NEWSLETTER

[mc4wp_form id=”2384248″]

Don't Miss

The Dating Wealth Gap Is Getting Wider: What You Should Know

by Fazila Olla-Logday
11 July 2025
Source: Pixabay
Lifestyle

The divide between wealth and romance is growing. As income inequality widens, financial status is playing a bigger role in...

Read more

The Broker who says ‘Yes’ when Banks say NO

by Pauline Torongo
8 July 2025
The Broker who says ‘Yes’ when Banks say NO
Business & Finance

When faced with constant loan rejection or last-minute withdrawals of support, Trelos Finance stands out as a solution.

Read more

Common Mistakes When Buying a Telescope — And How to Avoid Them

by Fazila Olla-Logday
1 July 2025
Common Mistakes When Buying a Telescope
Technology

You’ve spent hours scrolling through telescope specs online, dazzled by features and grand promises. The excitement builds—until your newly arrived...

Read more

From Portugal to Bali: Where Aussies Should Go for Your Next Coastal Holiday

by Fazila Olla-Logday
20 June 2025
Source: Flickr
Travel

Aussies, here is a guide to where you should go for your next coastal holiday.

Read more

Leading with Trust: Why Quality still wins in the AI Era

by Pauline Torongo
5 June 2025
Leading with Trust: Why Quality still wins in the AI Era
Business & Finance

If you're leading a software team today, you've likely noticed the shift: faster feature rollouts, routine automation, and AI taking...

Read more

How to Save on Airport Parking: Budget Tips Every Traveller Should Know

by Fazila Olla-Logday
3 June 2025
How to Save on Airport Parking
Travel

Saving money on airport parking can be a challenge,but here are some budget friendly tips to help you navigate.

Read more

Why Australian Investors are Betting on the Aviation Maverick Louis Belanger-Martin

by Pauline Torongo
28 May 2025
Why Australian Investors are Betting on the Aviation Maverick Louis Belanger-Martin
Business & Finance

Bélanger-Martin’s ambitions stretch beyond redefining inflight comfort—they’re rooted in resurrecting the romance of supersonic travel with a modern twist.

Read more
Load More

Copyright © Blue Sky Publications Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
australiantimes.co.uk is a division of Blue Sky Publications Ltd. Reproduction without permission prohibited. DMCA.com Protection Status

  • About us
  • Write for Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact us
  • T&Cs, Privacy and GDPR
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Weather
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Business & Finance
      • Currency Zone
    • Lotto Results
      • The Lott
  • Lifestyle
    • Entertainment
    • Horoscopes
    • Health & Wellness
    • Recipes
  • Travel
  • Expat Life
  • Move to Australia

Copyright © Blue Sky Publications Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
australiantimes.co.uk is a division of Blue Sky Publications Ltd. Reproduction without permission prohibited. DMCA.com Protection Status