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114-537: AME was founded in 2004 prior to the Federal Parliament's passage of a bill amending the Marriage Act 1961 to rule out the legal recognition of marriages between same-sex couples. There was a postal poll on the issue of same-sex marriage from September to November 2017. Australian Marriage Equality, with Senator Janet Rice, lodged a High Court Challenge to the constitutional validity of this postal survey, which

228-625: A carbon pricing scheme , which was widely perceived as a breach of a pre-election commitment. Her premiership was often undermined by party instability and numerous scandals, including the AWU affair and the Health Services Union expenses affair . Gillard and Rudd became embroiled in a lengthy political rivalry, resulting in Gillard losing the leadership of the party back to him in a June 2013 leadership spill . Her resignation as prime minister took effect

342-717: A conscience vote on same-sex marriage legislation. This, along with the Coalition's uniform opposition to same-sex marriage while in opposition, prevented two bills which would have legalised same-sex marriage in Australia from passing the House of Representatives and the Senate in September 2012. The Abbott government (2013–15) initially opposed same-sex marriage, but in August 2015 resolved to put

456-621: A " carbon tax " but said that she would build community consensus for a price on carbon and open negotiations with the mining industry for a re-vamped mining profits tax. Following the 2010 hung parliament election result, the Labor Party elected to adopt the Australian Greens preference for a carbon tax to transition to an emissions trading scheme, establishing a carbon price via the Clean Energy Act 2011 . The government also introduced

570-503: A "sustainable population strategy" in May 2011 which did not specify a target population. In October 2011 trade minister Craig Emerson released a paper with Gillard's approval which advocated for continued rapid rates of population growth. After winning leadership of the Labor Party, Gillard identified addressing the issue of unauthorised arrivals of asylum seekers as a priority of her government. She announced that negotiations were underway for

684-648: A bilateral agreement which would result in 800 asylum seekers who arrive in Australia by boat being taken to Malaysia instead. Australia would take 4,000 people from Malaysia who have previously been assessed as being refugees. However, on 31 August, the High Court ruled that the agreement to transfer refugees from Australia to Malaysia was invalid, and ordered that it not proceed. Australia would still accept 4,000 people who have been assessed as refugees in Malaysia. The asylum seeker debate returned during August 2012 following

798-418: A challenge. Accounts have continued to differ as to the extent of Gillard's foreknowledge and planning of the replacement of Rudd. Rudd initially said that he would challenge Gillard, but it soon became apparent that he did not have enough support within the party to survive in his position. Hours before the vote on 24 June, he resigned as prime minister and Leader of the Labor Party, leaving Gillard to assume

912-464: A code of practice. Sections 39H, I, and J set up a review of celebrants and a disciplinary system. Significantly, Subdivision C deals only with marriage celebrants (civil or not from a recognised religion), not with ministers of religion, who are governed by Subdivision A. As a result, ministers of religion are not necessarily subject to the same obligations or code of practice. Part VA deals with recognition of foreign marriages. This division reflects

1026-592: A conscience vote on the issue. In the aftermath of the changes to Australian marriage law, Australian Marriage Equality has shared learnings from the campaign with other countries such as Taiwan in their quest for marriage equality. In July 2020, Australian Marriage Equality announced it was officially winding down as an organisation. The group's social media pages have remained active to promote leading LGBTIQ community organisations, to draw attention to issues and legislation impacting LGBTIQ people. Marriage Act 1961 (Australia) The Marriage Act 1961 (Cth)

1140-638: A flat in Canberra and her home in Altona , a western suburb of Melbourne. Gillard moved into The Lodge on 26 September 2010. As well as being the first female prime minister, and the first never to have married, Gillard is the first prime minister since Billy Hughes to have been born overseas. The leadership question remained a feature of the Gillard government 's terms in office, and amidst ongoing leadership speculation following an ABC TV Four Corners examination of

1254-433: A foreign country between: (a) a man and another man; or (b) a woman and another woman; must not be recognised as a marriage in Australia. The amendment was argued by Ruddock and Liberal MPs to be necessary to protect the institution of marriage, and to ensure that the definition would be beyond legal challenge through the application of common law. Several years later, then-prime minister John Howard admitted that

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1368-551: A free vote in Australian Parliament. Furthermore, AME argued that an expensive and divisive plebiscite had the potential to cause undue stress to LGBTIQ people. In conjunction with GetUp, AME collected more than 55,000 signatures on a petition opposing a plebiscite and presented this petition at Parliament. On Valentine's Day 2011, AME, partnered with GetUp! to run the Marriage Matters advertising campaign, emphasising

1482-497: A highly regarded debater, with her performances during parliamentary question time prompting Peter van Onselen to call her "the best parliamentary performer on the Labor side". In her role as Minister for Education, Gillard travelled to Washington, D.C., in 2009, where she signed a deal with US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to encourage improved policy collaboration in education reform between both countries. The establishment of

1596-551: A hung parliament, a $ 1.8 billion package was given to rural hospitals, which was agreed to by the independents to support her re-election. In October 2010, her government introduced legislation to reform funding arrangements for the health system, with the intention of giving the Commonwealth responsibility for providing the majority of funding to public hospitals and 100 per cent of funding for primary care and GP services. In February 2011, Gillard announced extensive revision of

1710-651: A legal challenge to the High Court. However AME said the ruling was just "a temporary defeat". Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd proposed that same-sex marriage go to a referendum in June 2013, but the offer was rejected by AME and the Greens . In 2013, Rodney Croome criticised the tactics of the Australian marriage-equality lobby-group Equal Love as "counterproductive and unrepresentative" to

1824-524: A legally valid marriage in Australia. On 27 May 2004 the then federal attorney-general Philip Ruddock introduced the Marriage Amendment Bill 2004 to incorporate a definition of marriage into the Marriage Act 1961 and to outlaw the recognition of same-sex marriages lawfully entered into in foreign jurisdictions. In June 2004, the bill passed the House of Representatives . On 12 August 2004,

1938-586: A lot of those problems." On 17 July 2010, 23 days after becoming prime minister and after receiving the agreement of the Governor-General Quentin Bryce, Gillard announced the next federal election would be held on 21 August 2010. Gillard began campaigning with a speech using the slogan "moving forward". In the early stages of the campaign, a series of leaks were released by purported Labor Party sources, indicating apparent divisions within Cabinet over

2052-403: A majority of older Australians aged over 55. Textor stated, "This poll definitively puts pay to some of the myths that married couples or those with religious beliefs are against same-sex marriage. It doesn't devalue their marriages or faith, and instead gives everyone equal access to the rights they are accorded". Further, 77% of respondents agreed that Coalition MPs and Senators should be granted

2166-502: A member of the Board after Australian Marriage Equality adopted a more formalised governance model in 2015. After Greenwich's election to New South Wales Parliament, Rodney Croome from Tasmania served as the fifth national AME Convenor and, from 2015, also as a Director on the Board. The formal Board that was introduced in April 2015 saw Janine Middleton, who had spent two decades overseas working in

2280-483: A minor's pregnancy as a pressing consideration in deciding whether to allow an early marriage. Part III entitled " void marriages " establishes the circumstances in which a marriage is void. To preserve the validity of past marriages, this part is divided into periods based on when amendments to the Act were introduced. A purported marriage is void if: Part IV, entitled "Solemnisation of Marriages in Australia", deals with who

2394-559: A person was already married (or the overseas divorce is not recognised in Australia), a person was aged under 18 (subject to some exceptions), the persons were direct descendants or siblings, or there was duress or fraud. Part IA authorises the government to make grants to approved organisations for marriage counselling . Two amendments of note to the Act have been made with respect to the legal definition of marriage in Australia, both of which relate to same-sex marriage . Before 2004, there

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2508-434: A recognised denomination, and celebrants with special community needs. The original 1961 Act therefore allowed civil ceremonies, and the first civil celebrants were authorised in 1973. By the time the 2002 amendments were introduced, civil celebrants performed over 50% of marriages. The changes therefore provide legislative recognition to civil celebrants, and prescribe a regime beyond being "fit and proper" in order to control

2622-431: A return to "offshore processing" of asylum seeker claims. Gillard ruled out a return to processing at Nauru and named East Timor as a preferred location for new detention and processing facilities. The East Timorese government rejected the plan. In October 2010, her government announced that it would open two detention centres for 2000 immigrants, due to the pressures in allowing women and children to be released into

2736-510: A revised Minerals Resource Rent Tax and the Queensland Flood Levy . In his 2012–13 Budget , Treasurer Swan announced that the government would deliver a $ 1.5 billion surplus. The government cut defence and foreign aid spending. In December 2012, Swan announced that the government no longer expected to achieve a surplus, citing falling revenue and global economic conditions. Like her predecessor Rudd, Gillard had said that health

2850-468: A role in the foundation of EMILY's List , the pro-choice fund-raising and support network for Labor women. Gillard has cited Welsh Labour politician Aneurin Bevan as one of her political heroes. Gillard was first elected to the House of Representatives at the 1998 federal election representing Lalor , a safe Labor seat near Melbourne, replacing Barry Jones who retired. She made her maiden speech to

2964-409: A second Poll which found 75% of Australians thought legalising same-sex marriage in Australia is inevitable. In March 2011, AME released a paper which found that Australia's same-sex marriage ban hurt its economy. According to the paper, married partners are less likely to seek government aid, state and territorial governments gain money by issuing marriage licenses, wedding expenditures would stimulate

3078-405: A series of touring workshops called "Local Voices," which aim to cultivate grassroots activism for same-sex marriage. Speaking on behalf of AME, Rodney Croome has repeatedly criticised Senator Cory Bernardi 's remarks linking same-sex marriage to polygamy and bestiality. In June 2013 Croome said "Not one country that has allowed same-sex marriage has moved to legitimise polygamy or bestiality for

3192-596: A so-called "super ministry", the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations . She was a member of the Strategic Priorities Budget Committee (SPBC) – also referred to as " Gang of Four " – which comprised Rudd and his most senior ministers: Gillard, Treasurer Wayne Swan and Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner . Formed in late-2007 as a result of an internal review, the SPBC was responsible for

3306-635: A warmer climate. This led the family to migrate to Australia in 1966, settling in Adelaide , South Australia . The Gillard family's first month in Australia was spent in the Pennington Hostel , a now-closed migrant facility located in Pennington , South Australia. In 1974, eight years after they arrived, Gillard and her family became Australian citizens. As a result, Gillard held dual citizenship until she renounced her British citizenship prior to entering

3420-545: Is a double standard to demand respect for same-sex relationships without showing the same respect in return". With the introduction of same-sex marriage in the United Kingdom , same-sex couples, where one or both of the partners are British nationals, were able to marry at British consulates in Australia from June 2014 (for which AME congratulated the government); however, their marriages were not legally recognised in Australia. In March 2015 an ad denouncing same-sex families

3534-404: Is a priority in her agenda. She announced during the 2010 election, that there would be an increase of 270 placements for emergency doctors and nurses and 3,000 extra nursing scholarships over the following 10 years. She also said mental health would be a priority in her second term, with a $ 277 million suicide-prevention package which would target high-risk groups. As the election delivered

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3648-460: Is an act of the Parliament of Australia which regulates marriage in Australia . Since its passage in 1961, it has been amended on numerous occasions and applies uniformly throughout Australia (including its external territories ); and any law made by a state or territory inconsistent with the Act is invalid. The Act was made under the power granted to the federal parliament under section 51(xxi) of

3762-843: Is an Australian former politician who served as the 27th prime minister of Australia and the leader of the Labor Party (ALP) from 2010 to 2013. She was the member of parliament (MP) for the Victorian division of Lalor from 1998 to 2013. She previously served as the 13th deputy prime minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010, under Kevin Rudd . She is the first and only woman to hold either office in Australian history . Born in Barry , Wales, Gillard migrated with her family to Adelaide in South Australia in 1966. She attended Mitcham Demonstration School and Unley High School . Gillard went on to study at

3876-502: Is authorised to be a wedding celebrant, and the procedures to be followed. It also contains a division on marriages by foreign diplomatic or consular officers. Division 1 deals with authorised celebrants. Under the current Act three types of celebrants are allowed: ministers of religion, state and territory officers, and civil marriage celebrants. Under Subdivision A, a register is kept of ministers of religion (s.27) of "recognised" denominations (s26). The only requirements for registration

3990-419: Is permitted in "unusual and exceptional circumstances", which requires the consent of the younger person's parents and authorisation by a court. Prior to the 1991 changes, the "unusual and exceptional circumstances" procedures applied to a girl aged 14 or 15 (wanting to marry a male aged 18 or above) or a male aged 16 or 17 (wanting to marry a female aged 16 or above). For many years, courts have refused to accept

4104-560: Is that the person is a minister of religion who is nominated by their denomination, is resident in Australia, and is at least 21 years old (s29). A minister will be registered (s30) unless the registrar refuses registration because there are sufficient ministers of that denomination, or if the minister is "not a fit and proper person" or will not devote sufficient time to the functions of a minister of religion (s31). Ministers of religion are not bound to solemnise any marriage. Nothing in Part IV of

4218-402: The 2007 and 2010 federal elections , the Labor Party re-asserted its official opposition to amending the Act to legalise same-sex marriage, but by 2011 a clear majority of the party at the national conference succeeded in changing party policy in favour of the practice. Prime Minister Julia Gillard (opposed to same-sex marriage at the time) successfully moved for Labor Party MPs to be granted

4332-443: The 2007 election , she was appointed as deputy prime minister, and was also given the roles of Minister for Education , Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations , and Minister for Social Inclusion . On 24 June 2010 , after Rudd lost internal support within the Labor Party and resigned as leader, Gillard was elected unopposed as his replacement in a leadership spill , and was sworn-in as prime minister. She led Labor through

4446-621: The 2010 election weeks later, which saw the first hung parliament since 1940. Gillard was able to form a minority government with the support of the Greens and three independents . During its term of office, the Gillard government introduced the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), the Gonski funding , oversaw the early rollout of the National Broadband Network (NBN), and controversially implemented

4560-430: The 2012 Labor leadership spill in which Rudd challenged Gillard to regain the Labor leadership, telling the media that the Rudd government had entered a "period of paralysis" and that Rudd's work patterns were "difficult and chaotic". Upon her election by the Labor Party, Gillard said that she wouldn't move into The Lodge until she was elected prime minister in her own right, instead choosing to divide her time between

4674-524: The Australian Constitution . Before the passage of the Act, each state and territory had its own marriage laws. The Act only recognises monogamous marriages that comply with the requirements of the Act; other forms of union, including traditional Aboriginal marriages, are not recognised. However, the Family Law Act 1975 treats de facto relationships and polygamous marriages as marriages for

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4788-532: The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), an independent authority responsible for the development of a national curriculum, was amongst her first policy pursuits in 2008. She launched the government's " Digital Education Revolution " (DER) program, which provided laptops to all public secondary school students and developed quality digital tools, resources and infrastructure for all schools. In conjunction with DER, Gillard oversaw

4902-527: The Christian Democrats supported the bill, as did the junior party in the Coalition government, the National Party . The Australian Greens opposed the bill, calling it the "Marriage Discrimination Act". The Australian Democrats also opposed the bill. Democrats Senator Andrew Bartlett stated that the legislation devalued his marriage, and Greens Senator Bob Brown referred to John Howard and

5016-450: The Dogs than there is of any change in the Labor Party". Consequently, Gillard's move against Rudd on 23 June appeared to surprise many Labor backbenchers. Daryl Melham , when asked by a reporter on the night of the challenge if indeed a challenge was on, replied: "Complete garbage. ABC have lost all credibility." As he was being deposed, Rudd suggested that his opponents wanted to move Labor to

5130-640: The Fair Work Act . This established a single industrial relations bureaucracy called Fair Work Australia . Prime Minister Kevin Rudd suffered a decline in his personal ratings, and a perceived loss of support among his own MPs, following the failure of the Government's insulation program , controversy regarding the implementation of a tax on mining , the failure of the government to secure passage of its carbon trading scheme and some policy debate about immigration policy. Significant disaffection had arisen within

5244-565: The Leader of the Opposition in Victoria . Gillard was first elected to the House of Representatives at the 1998 election for the seat of Lalor . Following the 2001 election , she was appointed to the shadow cabinet . In December 2006, Gillard became the running mate of Kevin Rudd in a successful leadership challenge to Kim Beazley , becoming deputy leader of the opposition. After Labor's victory at

5358-554: The Organisation Intersex International Australia , regarding the terminology same-sex marriage , the issue was resolved such that any proposed legislation should not use the phrase 'same-sex marriage'. Australian Marriage Equality has campaigned with Community Action Against Homophobia (CAAH). In September 2013 Rodney Croome wrote to CAAH expressing his concerns in regards to what he perceived to be more radical campaigning methods used by CAAH saying, "It

5472-557: The University of Adelaide , but switched to the University of Melbourne in 1982, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Laws in 1986 and a Bachelor of Arts in 1989. During this time, she was president of the Australian Union of Students from 1983 to 1984. In 1987, Gillard joined the law firm Slater & Gordon , eventually becoming a partner in 1990, specialising in industrial law. In 1996, she became chief of staff to John Brumby ,

5586-473: The University of Melbourne , Gillard graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1986 and a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1989. In 1987, she joined the law firm Slater & Gordon in Werribee , Victoria, working in industrial law . In 1990, she was admitted as a partner ; at the age of 29, she was the youngest partner within the firm, and one of the first women to hold the position. From 1985 to 1989, Gillard

5700-512: The Wellcome Trust , succeeding Eliza Manningham-Buller . Although Gillard often ranked poorly in opinion polls as prime minister, her premiership has been more favourably received in retrospect. Political experts often place her in the middle-to-upper tier of Australian prime ministers. Gillard was born on 29 September 1961 in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan , Wales. She is the second of two daughters born to John Oliver Gillard (1929–2012) and

5814-470: The balance of power . Four crossbench MPs, Greens Adam Bandt and independents Andrew Wilkie , Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor declared their support for Labor on confidence and supply , allowing Gillard and Labor to remain in power with a minority government. Governor-General Bryce swore in the Second Gillard Ministry on 14 September 2010. Gillard came to office in the aftermath of

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5928-553: The " Building the Education Revolution " (BER) program, which allocated $ 16 billion to build new school accommodation including classrooms, libraries and assembly halls. Gillard also ensured the implementation of the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) in 2008, whereby a series of standardised tests focused on basic skills are administered annually to Australian students. This

6042-430: The Act's tendency to seek to uphold the validity of marriages. Marriages will be recognised if they were valid in the country where they were performed and if the marriage would be legal under Australian law. The foreign marriage certificate is proof of marriage and such marriages need not be registered in Australia. As a marriage must be legal under Australian law, a foreign marriage will not be recognised if, for example,

6156-640: The Australian Catholic Church's campaign against same-sex marriage. The group has also met with members of parliament from both major parties to stress the importance of marriage to families and to gay and lesbian youth. AME members protested Prime Minister Julia Gillard 's address to the Sydney Institute at a dinner in Luna Park in April 2011, with protesters holding photographs of same-sex couples who could not marry. Later that year, they launched

6270-478: The Australian parliament in 1998. Gillard attended Mitcham Demonstration School before going on to Unley High School . She began an arts degree at the University of Adelaide , during which she was president of the Adelaide University Union from 1981 to 1982. In her second year at the university, Gillard was introduced to politics by the daughter of a state Labor minister. Accordingly, she joined

6384-645: The Federal Liberal/National Party Coalition Government banned same-sex marriage. AME began newspaper and television advertisements in 2009 to call for same-sex marriage. The organisation was also invited to speak at a hearing into the Senate Inquiry into the Marriage Equality Amendment Bill 2009 . In December 2011 AME campaigners met with Sydney's Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell to discuss

6498-514: The House on 11 November 1998. Gillard was a member of the standing committee for Employment, Education and Workplace Relations from 8 December 1998 to 8 December 2001, in addition to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs from 20 March 2003 to 18 August 2003. Within the joint committees , she was a member of the Public Accounts and Audit from 8 December 1998 to 11 February 2002, in addition to

6612-624: The Labor Club and became involved in a campaign to fight federal education budget cuts. Gillard cut short her courses in Adelaide in 1982, and moved to Melbourne to work with the Australian Union of Students . In 1983, she became the second woman to lead the Australian Union of Students, serving until the organisation's discontinuation in 1984. She was also the secretary of the left-wing organisation Socialist Forum. Having transferred her studies to

6726-475: The Labor Party as to the leadership style and direction of Rudd. On 23 June 2010 he announced that Gillard had asked him to hold a leadership ballot the following day to determine the leadership of the Labor Party, and hence the Prime Ministership of Australia. As late as May 2010, prior to challenging Rudd, Gillard was quipping to the media that "There's more chance of me becoming the full-forward for

6840-505: The Marriage Act imposes an obligation on an authorised celebrant, being a minister of religion, to solemnise any marriage (s47). Subdivision B (s.39) preserves the power of "state and territory officers", allowing people who register marriages (under a state law) to also solemnise marriages (i.e. registry marriages). Subdivision C deals with "marriage celebrants", or the authorisation of people to conduct civil ceremonies. Section 39B allows

6954-603: The Native Title and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Land Fund from 20 March 2003 to 11 August 2003. After Labor's defeat at the 2001 federal election , Gillard was elected to the Shadow Cabinet under then-Labor Leader Simon Crean , where she was given responsibility for Population and Immigration. In February 2003, she was given additional responsibilities for Reconciliation and Indigenous Affairs. In these roles, in

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7068-660: The Rooty Hill RSL audience indicated an Abbott victory. Gillard won the audience poll at the Broncos Leagues Club meeting in Brisbane on 18 August. Gillard also appeared on the ABC's Q&A program on 9 August. On 7 August, Gillard was questioned by former Labor leader turned Channel Nine reporter Mark Latham. Gillard officially "launched" Labor's campaign in Brisbane five days before polling day, outlining Labor policies and using

7182-636: The amendment passed the Parliament. The bill subsequently received royal assent , becoming the Marriage Amendment Act 2004 . The amendment incorporated a definition of marriage into section 5 of the Act, known as the Interpretation section: marriage means the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life. and inserted a new section: 88EA Certain unions are not marriages A union solemnised in

7296-503: The campaign from this point. Gillard met Opposition leader Tony Abbott for one official debate during the campaign. Studio audience surveys by Channel Nine and the Seven Network suggested a win to Gillard. Unable to agree on further debates, the leaders went on to appear separately on stage for questioning at community forums in Sydney and Brisbane , Queensland . An audience exit poll of

7410-450: The community. One was to be opened in Inverbrackie, South Australia , and one in Northam, Western Australia . She said it would be a short-term solution to the problem and that temporary detention centres would be closed. On 15 December 2010, a ship containing 89 asylum seekers crashed on the shore of Christmas Island , killing up to fifty people. Refugee and migrant advocates condemned the government's hardline policy as responsible for

7524-629: The deputy leadership, but she did not do so. Gillard had been spoken of as a potential future leader of the party for some years, but never stood in a leadership contest. After Mark Latham resigned as Labor Leader in January 2005, Gillard appeared on ABC 's Australian Story in March 2006, after which an Ipsos Mackay poll conducted for Network Ten 's Meet the Press found that more respondents would prefer Gillard to be Labor Leader; she polled 32% compared with Beazley's 25% and Kevin Rudd's 18%. Although she had significant cross-factional support, she announced on 25 January 2005 that she would not contest

7638-403: The economy, and tourism would also benefit. A July 2014 poll, commissioned by Australian Marriage Equality and conducted by Lynton Crosby and Mark Textor , found that 72% of Australians supported legalising same-sex marriage, while 21% were opposed. A majority of those identifying with major religions supported same-sex marriage, including Catholics, Anglicans and non-Christian religions as did

7752-442: The events leading up to Rudd's replacement which cast doubt on Gillard's insistence that she did not actively campaign for the Prime Ministership, Attorney-General Nicola Roxon spoke of Rudd's record in the following terms: "I don't think we should whitewash history – while there are a lot of very good things our government did with Kevin as prime minister, there were also a lot of challenges, and it's Julia who has seen through fixing

7866-540: The fact that gay and lesbian people in Australia cannot marry their partners. "On this happy day when Australians celebrate the royal wedding, many Australians share the aspiration to one day marry their own 'prince' or princess', including many gay and lesbian Australians," commented a spokesperson for the organisation. AME commissioned a Galaxy Poll in 2010 which found that 62 per cent of Australians supported same-sex marriage, and 80 per cent of young people (18–24 years) supported marriage equality. In 2011 they commissioned

7980-655: The finance industry, join Alex Greenwich as co-chair. Other Board members appointed at this time included Jay Allen, who had served as Secretary of the organisation since 2012, Sarah Midgley, NSW Co-Convenor since 2012 and Tim Peppard who had been a Victorian Director since 2013. Shirleene Robinson, NSW Co-Convenor since 2012, later joined the Board In August 2015, Croome stepped down from his role as National Director of AME, announcing he wished to focus exclusively on an anti-plebiscite campaign. The first national co-convenors Luke Gahan and Geraldine Donoghue launched Australia's campaign for marriage equality in May 2005, 9 months after

8094-428: The first national study to examine same-sex Australians' preferences for relationship recognition, since the introduction of de facto status for same-sex couples at a federal level. She presented findings from this research at the hearing of the Senate Inquiry into the Marriage Equality Amendment Bill 2009 . Dane married her partner Elaine Crump in Toronto, Canada on 23 July 2008. The fourth national Convenor, from 2009,

8208-562: The former Moira Mackenzie (born 1928); her older sister Alison was born in 1958. Gillard's father was born in Cwmgwrach , but was of predominantly English descent; he worked as a psychiatric nurse. Her mother was born in Barry, and is of distant Scottish and Irish descent; she worked in a Salvation Army nursing home. After Gillard suffered from bronchopneumonia as a child, her parents were advised it would aid her recovery if they were to live in

8322-509: The gender-neutral "2 people". The bill passed the Senate by 43 votes to 12 on 29 November 2017 and passed the House of Representatives on 7 December 2017, with only four votes against. It was given royal assent by the governor-general , Sir Peter Cosgrove , on 8 December 2017. The Act had the effect of amending the definition of marriage in Section 5 of the Marriage Act : marriage means

8436-482: The global financial crisis of 2007–2008 . Government receipts fell during the international downturn and the Rudd government had employed pump priming expenditure. Upon taking over as leader of the Labor Party on 24 June 2010, Gillard said she could "assure" Australians that the Federal Budget would be in surplus in 2013. The Government continued to promise this outcome until December 2012. Gillard initially ruled out

8550-438: The government was motivated by the prospect of overseas same-sex marriages being recognised under Australian law via the judiciary . Labor Party shadow attorney-general Nicola Roxon said that the Labor Party would not oppose the amendment, arguing that the amendment did not affect the legal situation of same-sex relationships, merely putting into statute law what was already common law. Likewise minor parties Family First and

8664-542: The government's handling of the 2007–08 global financial crisis . On 11 December 2007, Gillard was acting prime minister while Rudd attended the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali , becoming the first woman ever to hold that position. She assumed these duties for a total of 69 days throughout Rudd's tenure, during his various overseas travel engagements. Gillard quickly became known as

8778-408: The importance of marriage to gay and lesbian couples. Another commercial released around the same time featured twin brothers Paul and David Battye; Paul was best man at his brother's wedding, but cannot himself get married. When Prince William of Wales and Catherine Middleton married in 2011, AME, with the help of GetUp!, sponsored public outdoor screenings of the event in order to call attention to

8892-599: The issue was "very important" in deciding their vote. Croome commented that there is a "huge gap" between public acceptance of same-sex relationships and the low level of support for same-sex marriage among politicians. Same-sex marriage was introduced for the first time in Australia in the Australian Capital Territory in December 2013, but the Marriage Equality (Same Sex) Act 2013 was subsequently voided by

9006-525: The leadership unopposed. Treasurer Wayne Swan was at the same time elected unopposed to succeed Gillard as Deputy Leader. Shortly afterward, Gillard was sworn in as the 27th prime minister of Australia by Governor-General Quentin Bryce , with Swan being sworn in as deputy prime minister. The members of the Rudd Ministry , with the exception of Rudd himself who returned to the backbenches, subsequently became

9120-401: The leadership, allowing Beazley to be elected unopposed. On 1 December 2006, as part of a cross-factional political partnership with Kevin Rudd, Gillard challenged Jenny Macklin for the deputy leadership. After Rudd successfully replaced Beazley as Labor Leader on 4 December 2006, Macklin chose to resign, allowing Gillard to become Deputy Leader unopposed. In the subsequent reshuffle, Gillard

9234-412: The legislation as "hateful". Not all of Labor was in support of the bill. During the bill's second reading, Labor MP Anthony Albanese said, "what has caused offence is why the government has rushed in this legislation in what is possibly the last fortnight of parliamentary sittings. This bill is a result of 30 bigoted backbenchers who want to press buttons out there in the community." Ahead of both

9348-509: The matter to the people at a plebiscite after the 2016 federal election . This policy was retained by the Turnbull government (2015–18), though due to the refusal of the Senate to support the legislation to establish a plebiscite, the government conducted a voluntary postal survey on the matter from September to November 2017. The survey returned 61.6% 'Yes' vote in favour of same-sex marriage. The government subsequently committed to facilitating

9462-562: The members of the First Gillard Ministry . It was the first time in Australian history that both the head of state as well as the head of government were female. Later that day, in her first press conference as prime minister, Gillard said that at times the Rudd government "went off the tracks", and "[I] came to the view that a good Government was losing its way". Gillard offered wider explanation of her motivations for replacing Rudd during

9576-479: The movement, which he claimed drive away the elderly and people of faith, echoing other criticism of the group in the Star Observer . A committee member for Equal Love argued Croome launched an "unsubtle attack" and defended their tactics, stating "a visual display of community outrage over the issue emboldens those who want change" In late 2013, following an exchange between AME and Tony Briffa , vice president of

9690-473: The new arrangement. The new agreement was supported by all state premiers and chief ministers and signed on 2 August. In relation to population targets for Australia, Gillard told Fairfax Media in August 2010 that while skilled migration is important: "I don't support the idea of a big Australia ". Gillard also altered the nomenclature of Tony Burke 's role as "Minister for Population" to that of "Minister for Sustainable Population". The Government released

9804-637: The next day, and she announced her retirement from politics. In the years following her retirement, Gillard has been a visiting professor at the University of Adelaide , the Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution 's Center for Universal Education, the chair of the Global Partnership for Education since 2014 and the chair of Beyond Blue since 2017. She released her memoir, My Story , in September 2014. In April 2021, she became chair of

9918-547: The old army barracks at Pontville , 45 minutes north of Hobart , Tasmania. This immigration detention centre would house up to 400 refugees. Also in April 2011, immigration detainees at the Villawood detention centre rioted in protest of their treatment, setting fire to several buildings. In May 2011, Gillard announced that Australia and Malaysia were finalising an arrangement to exchange asylum seekers. Gillard and Immigration Minister Chris Bowen said they were close to signing

10032-484: The original health funding reforms proposed by the Rudd government, which had been unable to secure the support of all state governments. The revised Gillard government plan proposed that the federal government move towards providing 50% of new health funding (and not 60 per cent as originally agreed) and removed the requirement of the states to cede a proportion of their GST revenue to the Federal Government to fund

10146-484: The outgoing New South Wales state member of Parliament Clover Moore MLA to run for the seat of Sydney in a by-election in 2012. After this, he stood down as national convenor to focus on his campaign, ultimately winning his seat in October 2012. In doing so, he became the first same-sex married man in an Australian Parliament. He continued to play an ongoing role in the organisation since his election, serving as co-chair and

10260-459: The passage of a private member's bill to amend the Act, and legalise same-sex marriage, by the end of 2017. The bill in question, the Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Bill 2017 , was introduced by Liberal Party Senator Dean Smith on 15 November 2017. The bill amends the definition of "marriage" in the Act, omitting the words "man and a woman" and replacing it with

10374-419: The purpose of recognising the rights of parties at a breakup. Since 2009, the Family Law Act 2009 has also recognised the property rights of each partner of de facto relationships on separation. An amendment to the Act to legalise same-sex marriage passed into law on 8 December 2017. Part II (s.10-21) deals with the marriageable age and the marriage of minors. In the original 1961 Act, marriageable age

10488-549: The quality and number of celebrants. Section 39C now lists a number of requirements to be registered as civil celebrant, in addition to being at least 18 years old and "fit and proper". The register will take into account: knowledge of the law; commitment to advising couples about relationship counselling; community standing; criminal record, the existence of a conflict of interest or benefit to business; and "any other matter". Section 39G imposes "obligations" on civil celebrants. These include professional development and an adherence to

10602-562: The register to be kept and sections 39D-E are procedural and seek to set up processes to control the number of celebrants. This section was introduced by the Marriage Amendment Act 2002 , after an attorney-general inquiry into the Civil Celebrants Program. Prior to the passage of this amendment the authorisation of celebrants was entirely contained in s39, which in s39(2) allowed the recognition of other "fit and proper persons" as civil marriage celebrants, religious celebrants outside

10716-415: The repeated assurances by Ms Gillard that she would not stand". Later, ABC's 7:30 Report said the seeds for the challenge to Rudd came from "factional heavyweights" Bill Shorten and Senator David Feeney , who secured the support of "New South Wales right power broker" Mark Arbib and that Feeney and Arbib went to discuss a challenge with Gillard on the morning of 23 June and a final numbers count began for

10830-433: The replacement of Kevin Rudd by Gillard. Midway through the campaign, Gillard offered journalists a self-assessment of her campaign by saying that she had been paying too much attention to advisers in her strategy team, and she wanted to run a less "stage-managed" campaign: I think it's time for me to make sure that the real Julia is well and truly on display, so I'm going to step up and take personal charge of what we do in

10944-532: The report of the Expert Panel on Asylum Seekers, led by retired Air Chief Marshall Angus Houston . Accepting the panel's recommendation, Gillard on 12 August 2012 announced that a bill then before Parliament would be amended to allow the Government to choose sites for off-shore processing. At the same time she announced the Government would nominate the former detention centres on Nauru and Manus Island , Papua New Guinea to be re-opened. The amended bill passed with

11058-407: The right, saying on 23 June: "This party and government will not be lurching to the right on the question of asylum seekers, as some have counselled us to do." Initially, The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the final catalyst for the move on Rudd was sparked by a report that Rudd had used his chief of staff to sound out back benchers on his level of support, thus implying that "he did not trust

11172-404: The rivalry between the two often attracting attention from the media. She was later given additional responsibility for managing opposition business in the House of Representatives by Latham, who had succeeded Beazley as Labor Party leader. In the aftermath of Labor's fourth consecutive defeat in the 2004 federal election it was widely speculated that Gillard might challenge Jenny Macklin for

11286-605: The simple reason they're not linked, legally, socially or culturally". In August 2013, AME announced that they would distribute leaflets to "over half a million Australian voters" with information about their local candidate's stance on marriage equality. Rodney Croome highlighted a poll released by the Australia Institute finding that same-sex marriage was the fourth most important issue to 18- to 25-year-old voters. A Fairfax Nielsen Poll later that month found that 65% of Australians supported marriage equality, while only 16% said

11400-504: The slogan: "Yes we will move forward together". Labor and the Coalition each won 72 seats in the 150-seat House of Representatives, four short of the requirement for majority government , resulting in the first hung parliament since the 1940 election . Labor suffered an 11-seat swing, even though it won a bare majority of the two-party vote. Both major party leaders sought to form a minority government . Six crossbench MPs held

11514-414: The tragedy, and Labor Party president Anna Bligh called for a complete review of the party's asylum seeker policy. Gillard returned early from holidays in response to the crash, and to review asylum seeker policy. Some months later Gillard would announce "The Malaysia Solution" in response. In April 2011, Australia's federal government confirmed that a detention centre for single men would be built at

11628-444: The union of 2 people to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life. It also repealed Section 88EA, which banned the recognition of overseas same-sex marriages. Consequently, when the Act went into effect on 9 December 2017, such couples became automatically recognised as married under the law. The original Act and the amendment also applies to Australia's external territories . In October 2013, same-sex marriage

11742-447: The wake of the Tampa and Children Overboard affairs , which were partly credited with Labor's 2001 election loss, Gillard developed a new immigration policy for the Labor Party. Gillard was later promoted to the position of Shadow Minister for Health and Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House (to Mark Latham ) on 2 July 2003. During this time, she shadowed Tony Abbott , with

11856-597: The youngest 'gay married' Australian, and subsequently Australia's first 'gay divorcee'. The second national Convener of AME was Peter Furness. Furness was a former South Sydney Councillor for the Australian Democrats . The third national Convener of AME was Dr Sharon Dane, who is a social psychology researcher at the School of Psychology at the University of Queensland. Dane was the lead author of "Not So Private Lives",

11970-568: Was Alex Greenwich , who had been AME National Secretary since 2007. Greenwich is the son of Mr Victor Greenwich, Head of the Georgian Consular General in Sydney. In 2012 Greenwich married his German partner Victor Hoeld in Argentina. Greenwich was an unsuccessful candidate for the 2012 City of Sydney Council election. Following his loss at the City of Sydney elections, Greenwich was endorsed by

12084-420: Was allocated responsibility for Employment, Workplace Relations and Social Inclusion, as well as being made Deputy Leader of the Opposition . After the Labor Party's victory in the 2007 federal election, Gillard was sworn in as the first ever female Deputy Prime Minister of Australia on 3 December 2007. In addition to being appointed to the position of Deputy Prime Minister, Gillard was given responsibility for

12198-520: Was broadcast on national TV, during the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, causing backlash amongst the community on social media. Throughout 2015–2016, AME spoke out against the potential plebiscite on marriage equality that had been mooted by then Prime Minister Tony Abbott and continued by his replacement as prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull . AME noted there was no constitutional need for a public vote in Australia and that marriage equality should be introduced through

12312-433: Was defeated by Lyn Allison of the Australian Democrats . In 1996, Gillard resigned from her position with Slater & Gordon to serve as chief of staff to John Brumby , at that time the Leader of the Opposition in Victoria . She was responsible for drafting the affirmative-action rules within the Labor Party in Victoria that set the target of pre-selecting women for 35 per cent of "winnable seats". She also played

12426-638: Was followed by the introduction of the My School website; launched in January 2010, the website reports on data from NAPLAN and displays information such as school missions, staffing, financial information, its resources and its students' characteristics. As Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Gillard removed the WorkChoices industrial relations regime introduced by the Howard government , and replaced it with

12540-509: Was heard in September. The High Court ruled the survey could proceed despite Australian Marriage Equality's challenge. The co-founders and first national co-conveners of AME were Luke Gahan and Geraldine Donoghue. Luke, grandson of the former Mayor of Prahran George Gahan , had been a member of the Australian Labor Party and Treasurer of the Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby. In a 2011 book called Speak Now , Gahan spoke openly about being

12654-492: Was legalised in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The ACT legislation was overturned by the High Court for being inconsistent with the Marriage Act . This was due to the definition of the term "marriage" in the Marriage Act , which at that time excluded all types of marriage other than that between one man and one woman. Julia Gillard Deputy Prime Minister of Australia Prime Minister of Australia Julia Eileen Gillard (born 29 September 1961)

12768-507: Was no definition of marriage in the 1961 Act, and instead the common law definition used in the English case Hyde v Hyde (1866) was considered supreme. Though s.46(1) of the Act required celebrants to explain the legal nature of marriage in Australia to a couple as "the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life", these words were descriptive or explanatory, rather than outlining what constituted

12882-500: Was president of the Carlton branch of the Labor Party. She stood for Labor preselection in the Division of Melbourne prior to the 1993 federal election , but was defeated by Lindsay Tanner . At the 1996 federal election , Gillard won the third position on Labor's Senate ticket in Victoria, behind Robert Ray and Barney Cooney . However, on the final distribution of preferences she

12996-477: Was set at 16 for females and 18 for males. However, under section 12 of the original 1961 Act a female 14 or 15 years or a male 16 or 17 years could apply to the court for permission to marry. The marriageable age was equalised in 1991 by the Sex Discrimination Amendment Act 1991 , which raised the marriageable age of females to 18. The marriage of a person aged 16 or 17 to another aged over 18

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