Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has angered left-wing
Labour MPs by allowing a conscience vote on gay marriage, which
they believe is destined to fail.
Gillard has ruled out government legislation to change the
Marriage Act, but in this compromise deal has allowed Labour MPs a
conscience vote if a private member's bill is introduced to
parliament.
The Courier Mail reports that Gillard expects "fireworks" at an
upcoming conference, and that she believes this will be a sign the
party is not afraid to debate policy ideas.
Gillard said: "I expect and want to see a noisy
conference. That shows we are a political party full of ideas and
working through how Australia deals with challenges of today and
the challenges of tomorrow."
Left-wing Labour MPs believe the conscience vote is
destined to fail because some members of the Labour party would
oppose it and the Coalition planned to block it.
Senator Doug Cameron, a Labour left powerbroker, has said
the conscience vote was a "tactical manoeuvre" by the PM that was
"not appropriate".
Photo: MystifyMe Concert Photography (Troy)
