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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2015/jul/29/same-sex-marriage-debate-penny-wong-v-cory-bernardi-live
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| Same-sex marriage debate: Penny Wong v Cory Bernardi – live | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 12.36pm AEST03:36 | |
| Penny Wong opens quoting a judge from America’s Supreme court decision last month which legalises same sex marriage across the country. She compares it to interracial couples being prevented from marrying a few decades ago and the restrictions upon them. | |
| In Australia today, two citizens who love each other and who wish to make a public declaration of their mutual and exclusive commitment through the ceremony of marriage are prohibited from doing so, solely on the basis of their gender. No other attribute, no other disqualification, simply because they are of the same gender. If the disqualifying attribute were race, age or religion, such a proposition would be rightly seen as bizarre. But it remains our law in respect of same-sex marriage. | |
| 12.34pm AEST03:34 | |
| Steve Lewis is chairing the same sex marriage debate. He opens with countries such as Ireland and America recently legalising same sex marriage nationally, but notes Australia is not there yet. | |
| A cross party bill for same sex marriage will be presented to the House of Representatives in August but there’s not guarantee of a conscience vote across the main parties, which is why we are still debating it. | |
| He introduces Penny Wong as the first speaker. | |
| 12.31pm AEST03:31 | |
| You can watch the debate on ABC News 24, Sky TV and live streamed here. Do let me know your thoughts on how it is progressing in the comments. | |
| 12.29pm AEST03:29 | |
| Meanwhile, down at the National Press Club: | |
| Press Club audience is discouraged from cheering during debate, "it's not Q and A". | |
| 12.20pm AEST03:20 | |
| There has been some consternation that this debate is going ahead at all. The gist is mostly that Bernardi’s views should not be legitimised or given a platform through such a debate, as if he does not already have a platform for them by, I dunno, being a Liberal senator. | |
| People seem to think Wong is stooping by debating him, your correspondent has a couple of thoughts on that: | |
| I wont be monitoring the #NPC address today. It's beyond me why @SenatorWong or the NPC Board would give Bernardi a platform. #SSM | |
| Stunned PWong would legitimise and share platform w. Lib who has said SSM could lead to acceptance of bestiality. https://t.co/q30J03lBia | |
| Updated at 12.23pm AEST | |
| 11.53am AEST02:53 | 11.53am AEST02:53 |
| Hello political tragics and tragicistas, while the good ship Bronwyn expenses sails on, we have clouds gathering over the National Press Club for what is shaping up to be an electric showdown (if you do indeed believe a debate between politicians can be electric, which I do). | Hello political tragics and tragicistas, while the good ship Bronwyn expenses sails on, we have clouds gathering over the National Press Club for what is shaping up to be an electric showdown (if you do indeed believe a debate between politicians can be electric, which I do). |
| In one corner we have Penny Wong, outspoken marriage equality advocate and Labor senator, who only last weekend teared up on stage when speaking on Labor binding its members to vote in favour of same-sex marriage from 2019. | |
| In the other corner we have Cory “common sense lives here” Bernardi who has long railed against same sex marriage predicting all sorts of catastrophes such as bestiality and polygamy stemming from recognising the love of two human beings who are of the same gender through marriage. | |
| The debate is due to start at 12.30pm, so pull your lunch up to your computer and/or phone, and let’s metaphorically helicopter in together. | The debate is due to start at 12.30pm, so pull your lunch up to your computer and/or phone, and let’s metaphorically helicopter in together. |
| Updated at 12.18pm AEST |