Related:
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
WODONGA councillor Lisa Mahood will tonight call for the city to back same-sex marriage.
Cr Mahood is intending to move a motion pledging support to the marriage equality campaign at tonight’s council meeting; but the city’s councillors — including Cr Mahood — are remaining tight-lipped on how they plan to vote.
Cr Mahood’s call follows a similar motion approved by Albury Council last November, which came down to the wire in a 5-4 vote; meanwhile, two bills on same-sex marriage have been tabled in Federal Parliament.
Benambra MP Bill Tilley, however, said he “can’t see what local councils can possibly do on these issues”, given it was a federal matter, while Indi MP Cathy McGowan encouraged the city to “do what they think needs to be done”.
The agenda, available on the city’s website, calls marriage equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex people, stating current laws were discriminatory.
“There is a community of GLBTI people within the City of Wodonga, this notice of motion encourages the council to take another step forward in supporting the local GLBTI community and redressing a human right being denied to them,” the motion states.
“Supporting a change to the Marriage Act is not about forcing religious groups to marry same-sex couples. It is about human rights and equality for all people. Marriage has many purposes and has long been a secular as well as religious act.”
The motion calls on the council to write to “all local state and federal MPs”, the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission and the Commonwealth Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission advising them of that support.
Cr Michael Fraser returned The Border Mail’s call and indicated “I’ve still got questions I want answered before I make a call” on his vote.
Cr Anna Speedie declined to speak ahead of the meeting; no other councillors returned The Border Mail’s calls, with a council spokeswoman yesterday saying they do not comment on issues on the agenda ahead of the meeting.
Mr Tilley said Federal Parliament was the place to discuss marriage equality, adding: “Wodonga has got a lot more challenging things to worry about than same-sex marriage.”
Ms McGowan said she had discussed the matter with Wodonga mayor Rod Wangman and that she herself was generally supportive of a change to the Marriage Act.
“While there are people very strongly against it, my sense is the majority of people see it as a form of discrimination and want it removed,” she said.
Albury councillor Ross Jackson, who brought forward Albury’s motion on the topic, said it was “fantastic” Wodonga had “the chance to make a statement on the issue”.