Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott's
gay sister Christine Foster has announced that she and her partner of
six years are preparing to marry.
Foster, a Liberal councilor at the City
of Sydney, and Virginia Edwards told New
Idea magazine that they're preparing to get hitched.
“We got engaged when we were away
with friends on a trip to Broken Hill,” the 49-year-old Foster
said.
Foster added that Abbott and his wife
Margie “will definitely be there.”
Abbott, whose conservative
Liberal-National coalition swept into power on September 7 on a
pledge to lower taxes, has steadfastly opposed marriage equality and
has pledged to challenge a proposed bill which seeks to legalize gay
nuptials in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), which includes
Canberra, the nation's capital.
“It is pretty clear under our
constitution that it is the Commonwealth that has responsibility for
the rules regarding marriage,” Abbott is quoted as telling
reporters from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). “We
think it's important that there be a uniform approach to marriage
throughout the Commonwealth and that's what we are going to do our
best to ensure.”
The marriage bill is expected to pass
this month and gay couples in the territory could marry as early as
December.