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The Issue Of Legalizing Same Sex Marriage

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It’s 1916 in Australia. The beckoning shores of Gallipoli await the thousands of soldiers that are yet to die amongst the bloodshed. These same shores, are yet to provide the battle of the century, that will go down in history as “The Great War.” Meanwhile, Australian’s take to the polls, with the Labour government asking the people whether or not they support the proposal to conscript young Australian men overseas for service. This national debate marked Australia’s first non-binding plebiscite, however 51% of the population voted against the proposal, conveying majority views, values and an underlying conservative nature.

You’ve seen it before: the illustrious rainbow flag, with stripes of bright colours. The same-sex marriage flag. The issue of legalising same-sex marriage in Australia has been an issue that has divided the Coalition and the people for decades. To legalise this contentious issue, the government proposes a plebiscite: the direct vote of all the members of an electorate on an important public question.

Earlier in 2016, Malcolm Turnbull, Prime Minister of Australia pledged to hold a plebiscite on same-sex marriage in the current parliamentary term, despite the outcome not being binding on the federal Constitution. Today, as we get closer to a possible plebiscite on same-sex marriage, public attention is naturally focused on the merits of the arguments for and against change. But, before we each get our chance to have a say at the ballot box, critical

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