A majority of respondents to a public
inquiry by an Australian Senate committee support gay marriage.
The Senate Legal and Constitutional
Affairs Committee on Thursday released figures for the number of
submissions to its inquiry into the Marriage Equality Amendment Bill
introduced by Senator Sarah Hanson-Young of the Greens Party.
“An unprecedented number of
submissions have been received for this inquiry,” the panel said in
releasing its final figures.
Of the more than 75,000 submissions
received, approximately 44,000 were in support of the bill, while
31,000 were opposed.
“The unprecedented level of support
for this legislation reflects the fact that a majority of Australians
support marriage equality and support it passionately,” Alex
Greenwich of Australian Marriage Equality (AME) said
in a statement.
“The take-home message for our
federal politicians is that the Australian public wants this reform
and wants it now,” he added.
Surveys show that between 60-65% of
Australians believe gay and lesbian couples should be allowed to
marry.
(Related: Julian
Shaw says the time has come for Australia to embrace gay marriage.)