Australian marriage equality march (Photo courtesy of Human Rights Campaign)


Marriage equality in Australia has passed with 61 percent of the vote in a postal survey completed this week.
The non-binding survey was sent to every Australian voter and was held from Sept. 12-Nov. 7. Although Australia has a mandatory voting law, this vote was not required. And since the vote wasn’t binding, it’s up to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s government and the Australian Parliament to enact legislation.
The overall participation rate was 79.5 percent of voters, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Of the 16,006,180 eligible voters, 12,727,920 responded.
The question asked was: Should the law be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry?
The highest percentage of yes votes (74 percent) came from the Australian Capital Territory, which includes Canberra, the capital. The participation rate (82.4 percent) was highest there as well.
The lowest percentage of yes votes (57.8 percent) came from New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, which includes Sydney. Northern Territory, which includes the Outback and Ayers Rock, had the lowest participation rate (58.4 percent).
The survey was criticized for delaying marriage equality, but the vote clearly showed it’s something Australians support.

— David Taffet