In 2004, the Australian government passed a law that barred same-sex couples from getting married. A grassroots LGBTI community campaign sprang up immediately to protest the law and this built momentum over time. In 2017, the governing conservative party responded to overwhelming community pressure and announced it would hold a national vote on whether to allow same-sex couples to marry. The LGBTI community opposed the vote on the basis that it was not necessary – the parliament could just change the laws without it – and conservatives found their proposal blocked. To get around that, they resolved to run a publicly funded voluntary national postal ‘survey’ of voters, the outcome of which they said would influence their decision about whether or not to change the law. Whilst the LGBTI community continued to oppose the vote, they recognised the importance of achieving a strong ‘Yes’ and began coalescing around a national campaign.
At that point, the Australian trade union movement went into action. Union officials were immediately seconded into the campaign to begin coordinating on the ground activities in towns and cities across the country. The Australian Council of Trade Unions provided and support to unions around the country wanting to encourage their members to participate. Australian trade unions overwhelmingly endorsed it on the basis that it was important to stand in solidarity with their LGBTI members in fighting for a fair and equal society. As a result, marriage equality was legalised in Australia on 9th December 2017.
