Kevin Rudd’s message: it’s time for marriage equality

From the Prime Minister this evening:

If I am re-elected Prime Minister, I will support marriage equality legislation in the first 100 days of Parliament.

At this evening’s debate, I made that commitment to the Australian people.

If you think it’s time for marriage equality, I’d like you to stand with me and show the country that we think it’s time:

I’ve been thinking about the meaning of marriage for a long time – and I won’t hide the fact that this has been a journey for me. It is a difficult discussion, and I won’t force this on anyone. It will be a free vote for members of the Labor Party.

But here is what I know: we are at our best when we give all Australians the same dignity, the same opportunity for happiness.

I believe that no matter who we love, we all should be able to make that same promise I was able to make to Therese over 30 years ago. That all of us should be allowed to marry the one we love.

I am the first Prime Minister of this country going into an election promising to support marriage equality. So if you support equal marriage, I will need your support.

This is an issue that is very personal to people. What moves us to take a stand on this issue can move others too. If you think it’s time for marriage equality, share your story telling the country why.

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What did you think of the debate?

Let us know.

Please use this as an open forum to tell us your views.

Briefly, I felt embarrassed for Tony Abbott. It didn’t go well for him. He huffed and puffed and chucked in a couple of lies that were not questioned, ie, the use of the word ‘illegal’ when describing boat people and his claim that the Opposition’s broadband policy would cost $60B less than the Government’s NBN.

Embarrassment turned to disgust when he let out his sarcastic laugh about what Kevin Rudd said during his 2007 debate with John Howard.

I also tired of the pink batts, stop the carbon tax and stop the boats slogans. I also think he lost the plot when he blamed Kevin Rudd for killing the mining boom.

He performed poorly. But I expected no better.

Who Tony needs to visit

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Tony Abbott has committed to spending one week each year in a remote Indigenous community. Offering encouragement from the sidelines, Warren Mundine informs us that:

“What Tony Abbott is doing is ensuring Indigenous issues become a bipartisan issue and he’s making it a personal crusade of his own”.

Forget about this publicity stunt. Instead, carry this same ‘admirable’ attitude with you and spend a week elsewhere where you have some learning to do. Here are some suggestions:

Spend a week in the Nauru detention centre.

Spend a week in Treasury.

Spend a week with some pensioners.

Spend a week with a dying asbestos victim.

Spend a week with a women’s group.

Spend a week in Centrelink.

Spend a week with an Internet service provider.

Spend a week in the public service.

Spend a week in a poor paying job.

Spend a week in a boat.

Spend a week in hospital.

Spend a week in a public school.

Spend a week with a gay couple.

Spend a week with an immigrant family.

Spend a week with a non-Christian family.

Spend a week with a youth group.

And while you’re there, show more respect for these groups than you have our Indigenous brothers and sisters.