Prominent arguments against same-sex marriage have been based on history, tradition, human rights, and social scientific research into health and welfare. The role of religion has been less explicit.
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has dismissed Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s same-sex marriage plebiscite idea.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
Tony Abbott is burnishing his lines for a popular vote on same-sex marriage in the next term, if he wins one. Abbott told parliament on Wednesday: “Going into the next election there will be two parties…
What options is Australia left with for same-sex marriage rights?
Alex Bainbridge/AAP
Tony Abbott raised several possibilities on Australia’s road to achieving same-sex marriage. But the only way Australia will get there is through parliament.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott faces the media after a marathon Coalition joint party room meeting.
Lukas Coch/AAP
A ruthlessly determined Tony Abbott has got his way on same-sex marriage. Coalition MPs came out two to one in favour of the government’s current policy and against a free vote, in an extraordinary meeting…
Environment Minister Greg Hunt, Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop announce new climate targets.
Lukas Coch/AAP
For the second time this year Liberal MPs have asserted themselves over their leader. Making it clear they wanted a contest for the speakership, with no attempted “captain’s pick”, was nothing like the…
Victorian MP Tony Smith has been elected speaker by the Liberal party room.
Lukas Coch/AAP
Victorian Liberal Tony Smith has convincingly won his party’s ballot for speaker and outlined to the House of Representatives his plans to improve the operation of what has been a chaotic parliament.
Opposition leader Bill Shorten has levelled with Tony Abbott as preferred prime minister, according to Newspoll.
Tracey Nearmy/AAP
The opposition has widened its two-party lead over the Coalition in Newspoll as MPs return for a new parliamentary session rocked by voters’ anger over parliamentary entitlements.
Tony Abbott rejected a push from Indigenous leaders, including Noel Pearson, for Indigenous-only community conventions on constitutional recognition.
AAP/Tracey Nearmy
Tony Abbott’s rejection of Indigenous-only conventions need not derail the push for constitutional recognition. But it demonstrates just how crucial sound process is to achieving change.
A freshly weakened Tony Abbott faces some difficult issues and dangerous flashpoints in the upcoming parliamentary sitting fortnight.
Ben Macmahon/AAP
Memo from Finance Department to minister Mathias Cormann: “Urgently needed – staff reinforcements for the Great Expense Chase”. Just joking. But only a little.
Broadcaster Alan Jones is the most influential shockjock on the air.
Paul Miller/AAP
After a spectacular run-in with Environment Minister Greg Hunt recently over the proposed Shenhua Watermark coal mine, broadcaster Alan Jones had Trade Minister Andrew Robb in his sights on Wednesday…
Queensland MP Ross Vasta flanks Prime Minister Tony Abbott, with Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane.
Dan Peled/AAP
It would be good if we had a transparent parliamentary entitlements system that generated less political noise. We could avoid the major distractions from serious policy debates.
After his disastrous ‘captain’s call’ Bronwyn Bishop, Tony Abbott has indicated that those aspiring to succeed her as speaker can fight it out to get the numbers among their peers.
Ben Macmahon/AAP
The glittering prize of the speakership is dangling in front of the eyes of several backbenchers whose careers are becalmed. They have a rare chance. Almost all advancement in the government is in the…
When claiming entitlements, Bronwyn Bishop seems to have had no normal sense of awareness.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
One snippet sums up Bronwyn Bishop’s disconnect with the real world. Her spokesman was quoted at the weekend saying she had often preferred limousines because they could travel in bus lanes, thus getting…
Speaker Bronwyn Bishop has resigned from her position after weeks of controversy over her use of entitlements.
Lukas Coch/AAP
Prime Minister Tony Abbott said this week that Labor’s pledge to source half the nation’s power from renewable energy by 2030 will “mean a massive bill, perhaps $60 billion or more, that will have to be carried by the consumers of Australia.” Is that right?
The furore around Speaker Bronwyn Bishop is now a full-blown crisis for Tony Abbott.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
Arguably, though they are far less spectacular, Bronwyn Bishop’s claims for trips during which she attended the weddings of Liberal colleagues in 2006 and 2007 are even more red-hot than the notorious…
Either Tony Abbott’s deep ideological and religious beliefs, or his fears of doing anything that weakens his support in the party’s right wing, are strongly driving him on same-sex marriage.
Dean Lewins/AAP
If Tony Abbott wants to defer indefinitely the issue of same-sex marriage, he really should come out and say so. As things stand, he seems just to be trifling with colleagues in the Liberal Party. The…