Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

I do not endorse this process. I believe it is a poor process. I am not comfortable with the fact that the rights and liberties of members of our community who are same-sex attracted have had to go through the opinion poll which they just have, but the fact of the matter is that we are now here in this parliament finally doing our job. We will do our job tomorrow. When this bill passes tomorrow, as I believe it will, it will be an important day in the history of this House, but it will be a more important day in the history of our country. It will be a day in which finally those Australian citizens will no longer have to scurry overseas to marry, having to go to the trouble of leaving their community and their country, to exercise the same rights that I exercised in 2002 and that so many millions of Australians have exercised. They will be able to exercise it here, equally, with pride, with freedom and with love. It is time that that occur, and I am proud it will occur tomorrow.

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