The Australian marriage equality debate continues to rattle onward, with some intriguing differences from our own situation, mostly resultant from Australia's national, political and social idiosyncracies. New Zealand has fortunately only had a single parliamentary chamber since 1951, when we abolished our ornamental Legislative Council and made do with a single House of Representatives. Apart from the Northern Territory, Australian Capital Territory and Queensland, that situation isn't as clearcut in Australia. The Howard administration enacted a federal marriage amendment that pre-emptively banned marriage equality, and its successors have attacked any state or territory movement toward independent action. The Liberal Party has a greater proportion of religious social conservatives than New Zealand's National Party and the British Conservative Party, which have played a more considerable obstructive role. Rather than a straightforward free parliamentary vote, similar to those in Canada, Scotland, England and Wales, the Turnbull administration has chosen the Irish route, a plebiscite/referendum. This is not what the Australian electorate wants, and as a consequence, there is a spirited campaign of resistance against the passage of federal enabling legislation to allow the plebiscite to go ahead. Major deterrents are its cost, as well as the rancor between Australian religious social conservatives and LGBT communities. Sydney's Mercure hotel called off an Australian Christian Lobby strategy meeting because of LGBT calls for a hotel chain boycott, which was then distorted into 'violence and death threats' by Australia's right-wing Murdoch chain of low-rent tabloid newspapers. By contrast, the rival Fairfax newspaper chain has been strongly supportive of marriage equality, especially the Melbourne Age and Sydney Morning Herald. As if that weren't enough, a particularly unpleasant Murdoch rag cartoon depicted a horde of pink moustached "Nazis' carrying baseball bats. The Fairfax press has condemned the nasty little smear item. Opponents of marriage equality thus have more support than they did here. As well as extremist elements within the Liberal/National Coalition, there are conservative journals like Quadrant and Policy (Centre for Independent Studies) which favour the plebiscite and opposed marriage equality beforehand, which didn't exist in the New Zealand context (unless one counts the laughable outburst in the defunct tragic tabloid gutter glossy Investigate). Australia's population is also more inclined toward Christian religious observance than New Zealand is, by about ten percentage points. Given Australia's economies of scale as well, organisations like the Australian Christian Lobby are more powerful and more blunt about their ambitions than New Zealand's Family First is. However, a recent devastating in depth poll result may end up irretrievably damaging the case for a marriage equality plebiscite amongst its own core constituency. Back in 2015, when Ireland held its constitutional amendment referendum on marriage equality, only one electorate, Roscommon-South Lentrim, held out against the otherwise universal embrace of marriage equality within the Emerald Isle. Now, a University of Melbourne poll has found something similar, with opposition to marriage equality reaching a majority only in one federal electorate- and predictably, it's a rural outback Queensland one, Maranoa. However, three other Queensland seats, Groome, Flynn and Hinkler, and the New South Wales seat of New England may end up upsetting the apple cart. That said, the results seem to indicate that even if the plebiscite does go ahead, there could be an "Irish" scenario awaiting the Australian marriage equality debate. Attorney General George Brandis is threatening to obstruct any attempted parliamentary vote to resolve the marriage equality issue, although ALP Senators and maverick Justice Party Senator Derrin Hinch (New Zealand-born) are threatening to call his bluff. As for publications on marriage equality, it seems to be the case that supporters are outpacing opponents. I could only find three pieces against marriage equality in Australia when I consulted Worldcat. There are more publications that support Australian marriage equality. Interestingly enough, one is a reprint of a US Focus on the Family attack on marriage equality, relationship equality and civil unions from 2005, Glen Stanton and Bill Maier: Marriage on Trial: The Case Against Same-Sex Marriage and Parenting. So nice to see the US Christian Right refraining from providing propaganda, tactics and strategy to their Australian satellites. Not. The Stanton and Maier book surfaced here at the time of New Zealand's Civil Union Bill in 2004. Once again, matters are somewhat up in the air across the Tasman. Turnbull has introduced the plebiscite enabling legislation and has set a tentative date- February 11. The Australian Labor Party, Greens and Nick Xenophon Team are all opposed, and the Coalition doesn't control the Senate, Australia's federal upper house. Pauline Hanson has said that she'll vote for marriage equality in the Australian Senate, but only if there's a mandate from the plebiscite to do so, indicating that she's siding with the Coalition's stance on the issue. Meanwhile, several New South Wales Liberal Party activists have been revealed to be distributing anti-equality propaganda and associated with the right wing Opus Dei organisation. So much for a 'fair and balanced' debate... And given the marginality of Turnbull's Coalition majority in the federal Australian House of Representatives and the absence of any such federal Australian Senate majority, does he even have a mandate to press for a plebiscite any more? The next few weeks should be interesting. Recommended: David McCarthy: "This debate is not about freedom of speech, it's about respect" Sydney Star Observer: 22.09.2016 Shannon Power: "Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull presents plebiscite legislation into Parliament:" Sydney Star Observer: 14.09.2016 Adam Gartrell: "Plebiscite hate speech fears blown out of all proportion: Hanson" Melbourne Age: 25.09.2016 Heath Aston: "Liberal Party members behind same-sex marriage misinformation campaign" Sydney Morning Herald: 25.09.2016 Adam Norton: "Just one electorate opposed to same-sex marriage" Melbourne Age: 23.09.2016 James Missola: "George Brandis warns same-sex marriage could be delayed until 2020s if Labor blocks plebiscite" Melbourne Age: 26.09.2016 James Missola: "Does Malcolm Turnbull still have a mandate for a same-sex marriage plebiscite?" Melbourne Age: 29.09.2016 Victor Marsh: Speak Now: Australian Perspectives on Same-Sex Marriage: Melbourne: Clouds of Magellan: 2011. Paul Ritchie: Faith, Love and Australia: A Conservative Case for Same-Sex Marriage: Redland: Connor Court: 2016. Rodney Croome: From This Day Forward: Marriage Equality in Australia: Northern Hobart: Walleah Press: 2015. Not Recommended: Policy (Centre for Independent Studies Australia): http://www.cis.org.au/policy Quadrant: http://www.quadrant.org.au Australian Christian Lobby: http://www.acl.org.au David Van Gend and Tim Wilson: "The Gay Marriage Debate" Institute for Public Affairs Review: September 2011: 36-37. David Van Gend: Stealing from A Child: The Injustice of Same-Sex Marriage: Redland: Connor Court: 2016. Rodney Croome and Bill Muehlenberg: Gay Marriage: Yes or No? North Sydney: Spinney Press: 2011. Craig Young - 5th October 2016