Australian lawmaker introduces same-sex marriage bill

A bill to legalize same-sex marriage was introduced in the Australian Parliament on Monday, but it is doomed to fail, with Prime Minister Tony Abbott's government opposed to the measure.

Warren Entsch, from Abbott's Liberal Party, broke from conservative ranks to introduce the legislation — despite a government meeting last week deciding against allowing MPs a free vote on the issue, effectively ending any hopes of the legislation's passing.

"This bill is designed to promote an inclusive Australia, not a divided one," said Entsch. "A divided nation is what we will be if we continue to allow discrimination in relation to marriage on the basis of a person's sexuality."

Debate on the bill was adjourned.

Australia is seen as lagging behind a growing number of countries on marriage equality, and support for change is rising with a poll in Fairfax Media on Monday showing 69 percent of 1,402 respondents in favor of equal marriage rights, up from 57 percent five years ago.

Abbott, a conservative who once trained to be a Catholic priest, has long opposed change on the issue, and a meeting of his Liberal/National coalition last week decided the government would remain against gay marriage during the current Parliament.

The decision meant an end to hopes of a free vote, in which politicians vote according to their conscience rather than along party lines.

This could have seen the marriage bill passed if government MPs who support same-sex marriage were allowed to side with opposition Labor and independent MPs to secure a majority.

In a concession, Abbott suggested the issue could be put to a popular vote after the next elections, expected sometime next year.

But splits have emerged within his front bench over whether that would be best served through a constitutional referendum or a plebiscite.

The issue has come to a head with the ruling conservatives heading for election defeat, according to the Fairfax poll, which showed that on a two-party basis, Labor leads Abbott's coalition, 54 to 46 percent.

"This is something that has been the way it currently is for thousands of years, hundreds of years. It's a very big decision to make a change like this," Abbott said on Monday of expanding marriage rights to same-sex couples. "I don't say that it's not a decision that the community won't embrace ultimately. But the decision that came very strongly out of our party room last week was that this should not be the politicians' decision. It should be the people's decision, and that's what will happen in the next term of Parliament. It should be a people's choice."

Same-sex couples may have civil unions or register their relationships in most states in Australia, but the national government does not consider them married.

Labor leader Bill Shorten has pledged to legalize gay marriage if his party wins the next elections.

Wire services