Miranda Devine: I accept the same-sex marriage result with good grace
THE people have spoken. Same sex marriage will become the law of the land. And it will do so with the blessing of the nation. Those of us who opposed this change to our foundational social institution accept it with good grace, as we promised.
Opinion
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THE people have spoken. Same sex marriage will become the law of the land. And it will do so with the blessing of the nation.
Those of us who opposed this change to our foundational social institution accept it with good grace, as we promised.
The view of the majority of our fellow Australians — the 61.6 per cent, or 7.8 million people who voted Yes — should and will prevail.
So be it, and congratulations to those who worked so hard for this result. Especially good on the Prime Minister, who managed to defy Labor’s cynical blocking of his proposed plebiscite by devising the much-criticised postal survey.
He kept his election promise to allow a vote of the people, and deserves kudos for steering this tricky issue to a conclusion.
Imperfect though the process was, the Australian people ensured it was a resounding success. A turnout of 79.5 per cent is phenomenal. It shows that Australians wanted to have their say, and now we all own the result.
If, instead, a vote had been pushed through parliament by politicians, as Labor and the Greens were demanding, it never would have been accepted as legitimate.
So now, let those of us who defended traditional marriage try to use this vote to strengthen the institution.
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But don’t forget the significant minority of Australians who voted No.
Almost four in ten Australians — 4.9 million — did not want to change the definition of marriage, and their view deserves respect too.
You cannot categorise four in ten Australians as bigots and homophobes, as No voters were branded during the campaign. No one would want to live in such a country, and of course we don’t. No voters were never bigots or homophobes, and should never have been slandered in such a hateful fashion.
And the big political story is that Labor’s heartland in western Sydney voted resoundingly No.
Paul Keating’s old seat of Blaxland, held by Jason Clare, voted 73.9 per cent No. Watson, held by Tony Burke, voted 69.6 per cent No. McMahon, held by Chris Bowen, was 64.9, Werriwa 63.7, Fowler 63.7, Parramatta 61.6, Chifley 58.7 per cent, Barton, 56.4 per cent. All are Labor seats.
This is a giant headache for Bill Shorten, and shows the lost opportunity for the Liberal Party of capitalising on the disenfranchised social conservative vote in Labor territory. Western Sydney is fertile ground ripe for Cory Bernardi’s Australian Conservatives.
The bullying and intimidation of No voters during the campaign demonstrates how urgent it is for parliament to legislate adequate religious and free speech protections when the Marriage Act is changed. The Smith bill is woefully inadequate.
No one should be compelled to participate in a same-sex wedding against their beliefs, and those who hold a traditional view of marriage should not be discriminated against by the state.
Most importantly, parents must retain the right to teach their values to their children, which means being able to opt out of Safe Schools type sex education.
As Lyle Shelton, the valiant leader of the No campaign, said today: “We congratulate the Yes campaign on their win. But now our attention will turn to ensuring that what the Yes Campaign said would occur in regard to freedoms being protected is actually realised. Senator Paterson’s Bill provides the best pathway.”
He also paid tribute to the Yes volunteers and staff at the Coalition for Marriage, who “have been magnificent and I know they want to keep fighting for freedom in Australia.”
A new social conservative force has risen in Australia, and it represents the four in ten who voted No.