Wong baby won't sway Gillard on gay marriage

FINANCE Minister Penny Wong's partner is pregnant and the couple have announced their joy at the prospect of welcoming a child into their lives

110810 Penny Wong

FINANCE Minister Penny Wong's partner, Sophie Allouache, is pregnant and the couple have announced their joy at the prospect of welcoming a child into their lives.

The couple know the biological father, who will be known to the child.

"We have agreed with him that his name will not be released to the media," Senator Wong said.

The pregnancy was made possible through IVF technology.

"Like any expecting parents, the prospect of welcoming this child into our lives fills us both with joy," Senator Wong said in a statement yesterday.

The baby is due in December.

The pregnancy comes as Julia Gillard faces a battle over gay marriage, which is expected to result in a change to Labor Party policy at the party's national conference in December.

Five state Labor conferences are backing the policy change and so is Senator Wong.

The policy shift is being opposed by the Prime Minister, who said yesterday she was pleased for Ms Wong but her colleague's circumstances had not caused her to reconsider her opposition to same-sex marriage.

"I'm very pleased for Penny and her partner, Sophie, as they look forward to a new baby and the next phase of their lives, which will be as parents raising a new child," Ms Gillard said.

"Clearly there are strong views about same-sex marriage in the community. There are strong views in the political party I lead and we'll have a debate at national conference about those strongly held views. I've made my views clear."

Asked whether she believed that ultimately the parliament should assess the issue as a conscience vote, Ms Gillard refused to make a specific comment.

Australian Marriage Equality spokesman Peter Furness says while the law will recognise the couple as parents, "this just highlights how out of step the same-sex marriage ban has become by denying their child the option of having married parents".

ADDITIONAL REPORTING: MICHAEL OWEN