RUDD ANGERS LEFT ON GAY MARRIAGE

UNCLAS CANBERRA 000461

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM SOCI AS
SUBJECT: RUDD ANGERS LEFT ON GAY MARRIAGE


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The Rudd government, exercising the Federal
Government's power to override territory laws, has forced the
left-leaning Australian Labor Party (ALP) government of the
Australian Capital Territory (ACT) to abandon plans to allow
"civil unions" for same-sex couples. The Rudd government had
made it clear to the ACT government that it would do so on
this issue because it viewed the proposal as mimicking
marriage, which is a Federal responsibility and is defined by
legislation as being exclusively between a man and a woman.
The Government's intervention in this matter demonstrates
Rudd's social conservatism, and his political determination
to hold onto the ALP's increased share of the conservative
religious vote and not be "wedged" on contentious social
issues. END SUMMARY.

RUDD SAYS NO AND ACT GOVERNMENT EXPLODES


2. (U) A disappointed ACT Attorney-General announced May 4
that the Federal Government had advised him that it would
override the proposed civil union laws if enacted. The main
sticking point for the Government was the provision for a
ceremony in the ACT bill, which would have made the union too
much like a marriage. Apparently, the ACT Government will
amend its legislation to provide for a form of "civil
partnerships," similar to the registration scheme currently
available in Tasmania. The ACT Chief Minister, Jon Stanhope,
called the Federal Government's action a "dreadful day for
the Australian Labor Party" and the ACT Attorney General said
the Rudd Government's position was "hypocritical" and
"appalling," and demonstrated that the Rudd government was
"beholden to the extreme right of the Christian lobby of
Australia." Australian Christian Lobby managing director Jim
Wallace said: "I think (the Rudd Government) will receive the
appreciation of the great majority of the Christian
constituency and the churches."

HISTORY


3. (U) In 2006, the ACT Government passed its Civil
Partnerships Bill to allow same-sex couples to engage in
legally recognized relationships. Soon after, acting under
the federal legislation that gave the ACT self government,
the Howard government overrode the legislation, claiming it
emulated marriage, which is a Federal responsibility and is
defined in the Marriage Act as being exclusively between a
man and a woman. In response, the Kim Beazley-led ALP
Opposition, decrying Howard's intervention as "sectarian hate
politics" unsuccessfully voted in the Senate to disallow the
Commonwealth's intervention. After Rudd was elected in
November, the ACT Government was understandably hopeful that
it could successfully revisit the issue. At the Federal
level, the Rudd government, with bi-partisan support, had
already begun to remove discrimination against same-sex
couples in areas such as superannuation (retirement benefits)
and welfare benefits.

RUDD KEEPS THE FAITH


4. (SBU) COMMENT: While most Australians appear to support
equal financial rights for same-sex couples, they are uneasy
with gay marriage, gay adoption and gay IVF. During the
election campaign, when Rudd discussed religious values, it
was generally in terms of social justice for workers and the
less fortunate. This was amenable to the secular left-wing
of his party, particularly in the context of the WorkChoices
debate. However, he had also made it clear before the
election that he opposed gay marriage and would not accept
civil union schemes which mimicked marriage. This action by
Rudd can be seen as another example of his backing the ALP's
socially conservative "battler" constituency over its
Qsocially conservative "battler" constituency over its
inner-city progressives.

MCCALLUM