From jellybeans to screaming Scotsmen - Mal Farr's look behind the ALP National Conference
Senator Penny Wong receives Gay marriage petition at the Labor Party Conference 2011 in Sydney. Picture: Renee Nowytarger Source: The Daily Telegraph
- ALP to debate gay marriage at national conference
- Motion to allow a conscience vote expected to pass
- Endorsing gay marriage will cost Labor vote - De Bruyn
- PM praises Labor leaders - except Kev
A PASSIONATE debate on gay marriage is expected when Prime Minister Julia Gillard kicks it off this morning at the ALP's national conference in Sydney.
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Ms Gillard, who promised at the 2010 election not to change the Marriage Act, will be the first speaker on a motion to allow Labor MPs a conscience vote on the issue.
The motion to change the party's constitution and rules will be seconded by Defence Minister Stephen Smith, who this week said he would back a private member's Bill on gay marriage if it came to parliament.
Party sources expect the motion to pass narrowly, with the debate to start about 9.30am (AEDT).
Mr Smith said outside the conference that the conscience vote was important.
"I think that if there is a conscience vote the conference wins, the party wins, and the community wins," he said.
Some party members are concerned that a conscience vote would almost certainly fail in parliament if, as expected, the Coalition votes as a block and a handful of conservative Labor MPs vote with it.
An alliance of the Left and some members of the Right faction are set to get their way on a change to the party's national platform, which would endorse gay marriage as a matter of equality and fairness.
ACT deputy chief minister Andrew Barr will kick off that part of the debate, followed by cabinet minister Penny Wong. Both Mr Barr and Senator Wong are openly gay.
Pro-marriage equality and anti-gay marriage protesters are gathering to make their voices heard ahead of the vote.
The conference's 400 delegates will also debate offshore processing of asylum seekers and the proposed disability insurance scheme.
The afternoon session will focus on a report by party stalwarts John Faulkner, Steve Bracks and Bob Carr to reform the party.
The review attracted almost 9000 submissions. Thirty recommendations will be put to the conference.
Ms Gillard has already endorsed a number of these, including setting a membership recruitment target in 2012, trialling "primaries" to select candidates and setting up online branches.
The party has about 35,000 members but is losing between 4000 and 6000 members a year, with many disenchanted about a lack of a vote on policy and senior officials.
"There is no doubt the 1940s format of a group of men meeting at a suburbs branch meeting at tea time does need to be overhauled," Labor frontbencher Bill Shorten said today.
Right faction powerbroker Joe de Bruyn warns Labor will have more difficulty winning the next election if it endorses gay marriage.
"Labor has a fighting chance to win the next election but if we change the policy it will be much much harder," he told reporters.
He said the shift could damage Labor's chances in Queensland.
"My fear is we will lose seats there," he said.
Mr De Bruyn said the cause of gay marriage would not be changed "one iota", because both houses of parliament would defeat any Bill.
Asked if he was angry that the skirmish over gay marriage had overshadowed all other things at the conference, Labor frontbencher Bill Shorten said: "I can't be frustrated if the media want to write about the same-sex relationships.
"It has a degree of interest for the media and for people who strongly hold these views in the community, in favour of marriage equality, or people of religious faith and conviction who believe that marriage is between a man and a woman."
Labor powerbroker Mark Arbib said the gay marriage vote would be "strongly debated" on the conference floor.
"I'm supporting a conscience vote but I'm also supporting a change to the platform to support same sex marriage," Mr Arbib said. "I think it's time the party makes a change."
Labor frontbencher Peter Garrett said he thought the public was ready for a change on the issue of gay marriage.
"I've long said it's time for us to remove the legal impediment or barriers to same-sex couples getting married," he said. "It's going to be healthy debate but you know what, I think we're ready."
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