FED:Bligh supports gay marriage

AAP General News (Australia)
12-02-2011
FED:Bligh supports gay marriage

SYDNEY, Dec 2 AAP - The Australian Labor party must change its platform on gay marriage,
says Queensland Premier Anna Bligh says.

At the party's national conference in Sydney on Saturday, debate will turn to the issue
of changing the federal Marriage Act to allow same-sex couples to wed.

"I think people who are at the conference have been thinking about this for some time,"

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh told Sky News.

She said the party's platform should be amended in support of same-sex marriage.

"I'll be supporting a change to the platform in the same way I supported the legislation
that went through the Queensland parliament (on Wednesday night)," Ms Bligh said.

"For me, this is as simple as two people who love each other.

"If they want to have a ceremony to celebrate that with their friends and their family,
and they want that to be legally recognised as a relationship, then I think that is a
very reasonable thing to want in life.

She added she would support a conscience vote on the issue.

"Having given it to my own MPs, I wouldn't want to be in a position of denying it to
others," she said.

Labor's left wing supports the push for gay marriage, while Prime Minister Julia Gillard
and most of the party's Right faction opposes any change to the Marriage Act that would
allow same-sex couples to marry.

Ms Gillard is backing a conscience vote on the issue.

ACT Deputy Chief Minister Andrew Barr, who is in a same-sex civil partnership, will
on Saturday move a motion for Labor to change its platform and amend the Marriage Act
to allow equal access to marriage for all couples, regardless of gender.

AAP bc/klm/it

KEYWORD: LABOR BLIGH

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