The attorney general, George Brandis, has confirmed that the government is prepared to negotiate with Labor to win its support to set up the plebiscite on same-sex marriage. He said most LGBTI people, and the Australian people, were not prepared to wait for years for same-sex marriage. On Thursday LGBTI organisations, including Australian Marriage Equality and Australians For Equality, attacked the government’s proposed plebiscite. The government will propose new protections for “conscientious objectors” to same-sex marriage which marriage equality advocates fear could allow civil celebrants, registrars and even bakers and florists to refuse to serve same-sex weddings. The attorney general claimed that was not part of Labor’s objection and said a plebiscite was appropriate because same-sex marriage was a social question not a political one.

Source: The Guardian September 18, 2016 00:07 UTC