The Parliament of Australia is reportedly heading for a vote on same-sex marriage.
Fairfax is reporting that Prime Minister Tony Abbott, whose sister Christine Forster is in a same-sex relationship, is set to make good on his pre-election promise that the Liberal party room would be free to decide on a conscience vote after the election.
The matter is expected to come to a head in the next two sitting fortnights of Parliament in August and September after senior Liberals asked crossbench senator David Leyonhjelm to introduce his draft bill to legalise same-sex marriage.
Tony Abbott doesn't personally support same-sex marriage, and nor did Julia Gillard or Kevin Rudd — although the latter had had an epiphany on the issue just days prior to the last federal election. Both Labor Prime Ministers were in favour of a conscience vote, however, as is Leader of the Opposition, Bill Shorten.
As of 28 June 2014, sixteen countries (Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, United Kingdom, Uruguay) allow same-sex couples to marry.
