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It is a majority ‘yes’ vote for the national same-sex marriage survey with 61.6 per cent of Australians supporting a change in same sex marriage laws.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), every state and territory responded with a majority ‘yes’ vote with exception to NSW (57.7 p.c).
For the Hume electorate, 58.6 p.c voted ‘yes’ and 41.4 p.c ‘no’.
“There’s been tremendous engagement from the community on same sex marriage. As I have outlined publicly, I will be supporting the passage of legislation through the Lower House that will make same sex marriage law in this country,” Hume MP Angus Taylor said.
“What amendments are passed in reference to the legislation will be a matter for the Parliament. I will be looking carefully in coming days and weeks at the discussions around protections of freedoms in the Bill put to parliament.
“These protections are critical. Let’s see where we are at when the Lower House sits again in two weeks.”
A total of 4,873, 987 people voted ‘no’ in the survey and 36,686 submitted an unclear survey.
The ACT had the highest ‘yes’ vote of 74 p.c.
Out of the 150 electorates, the majority (133) recorded a majority yes. Out of the 133 electorates, 94 electorates had at least a 60 p.c ‘yes’ vote.
ABS Australian statistician David Kalisch, who presented the figures at 10am on Wednesday in Canberra, said there was a “strong participation” and the results delivered a “clear message”.
“Our goal was to make the process as easy as possible without compromising the integrity of the process,” he said.
The ABS received a response rate of 79.5 p.c which he said was “outstanding” for a voluntary survey.
“It shows how important this issue is.”
Anglican Bishop of Canberra/Goulburn Stuart Robinson has released a statement on the survey, thanking people for their participation in the survey.
“The ‘Yes’ vote has garnered a clear majority and I would now ask that we uphold before the Lord, legislators and their advisors who will seek to draft and bring in the attendant legislation,” the statement read.
“The people have risen to the challenge”
“Amazed, happy and ecstatic”: this is how Hume Supports Marriage Equality group spokesperson Tom Sebo describes the majority ‘yes’ vote announced by the ABS.
Currently in Sydney, he said the statistics show Australia is a “nation that cares deeply about fairness and equality”.
“More than 12 million people have had their voices heard, its resounding. Fifty eight per cent of the Hume said ‘yes’, it is a clear mandate that cannot be ignored,” Mr Sebo said.
“MP Angus Taylor said that he would carry the position of the country and the electorate, I sincerely hope that before the end of the year he rallies behind the Dean Smith bill. We look forward to seeing him vote that way.”
Mr Sebo thanked the Hume and Goulburn communities that supported the ‘yes’ campaign over the past few months and years.
“It certainly hasn’t been easy [but] to every person voted yes, you helped make history. It’s a great day for the country,” he said.
“The people have risen to the challenge. It shows that we fulfilled a commitment to the generation before us who sacrificed everything so we can have our rights. Great for the next generation of kids, in 20 years time we’ll look back at this absurd thing and the concept of gay marriage, because marriage is simply marriage.”