Conservative Australians back same-sex marriage

Canberra March 20 (IANS) A majority of Australians in some of the nation s most conservative electorates have backed the same same-sex marriage movement a new poll revealed on Monday.

ReachTel polled Australians living in 12 conservative seats including Treasurer Scott Morrison s seat of Cook Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce s seat of New England and Trade Minister Steve Ciobo s electorate of Moncrieff finding that a majority of voters in all 12 of the electorates polled supported same-sex marriage Xinhua news agency reported.

A majority of voters also said that it was very important that the issue should be resolved in Parliament in 2017.

Deputy Prime Minister Joyce is against legalising same-sex marriage in Australia but 50.5 per cent of voters in his seat are for allowing same-sex couples to marry while 39 per cent opposed.

More than 56 per cent of people in Treasurer Morrison s seat would like to see same-sex couples be given the same rights as other Australians while 61.2 per cent of those in the safe Liberal seat of Moncrieff in Queensland said they support same-sex marriage.

The poll was commissioned by Australians for Equality and asked the opinion of 700 people in each electorate.

The movement s director Tiernan Brady said the results reflected what we are seeing in town hall meetings all around Australia.

This won t go away this doesn t need to be a political football a clear majority of voters in every party want this Brady told the media on Monday.

There is currently a push within government to allow a free vote on the issue before the federal budget is handed down in May however Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has said a plebiscite or non-binding public vote would still take place later this year.

--IANS
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