Footnotes

Chapter 1 - Introduction and background

[1]        Journals of the Senate, No. 110 – 20 August 2015, p. 3010.

[2]        Section 5 of the Marriage Act 1961.

[3]        Deirdre McKeown, Chronology of same-sex marriage bills introduced into the federal parliament: a quick guide, Research Paper Series 2015-16, updated 24 August 2015, p. 1.

[4]        See for example Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee, Marriage Equality Amendment Bill 2010, 25 June 2012; and House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs, Inquiry into the Marriage Equality Amendment Bill 2012 and the Marriage Amendment Bill 2012, 18 June 2012.

[5]        The Hon Tony Abbott MP, Prime Minister, Joint Doorstop Interview, Queanbeyan, 12 August 2015, available at: www.pm.gov.au/media/2015-08-12/joint-doorstop-interview-queanbeyan (accessed 3 September 2015).

[6]        Submission 6, p. 1.

[7]        Australian Electoral Commission website, Types of referendums: Constitutional referendums, available at: www.aec.gov.au/Elections/referendums/types.htm (accessed 24 August 2015).

[8]        Australian Marriage Equality, Submission 17, Attachment 1, p. 2.

[9]        Australian Electoral Commission website, Types of referendums: Constitutional referendums.

[10]      Submission 26, p. 5.

[11]      Submission 21, p. 4.

[12]      Submission 17, Attachment 1, p. 3.

[13]      See Professor Geoffrey Lindell, Submission 4, p. 1; Gilbert+Tobin Centre of Public Law, Submission 11, p. 6; Australian Marriage Equality, Submission 17, p. 11.

[14]      Submission 6, p. 3.

[15]      Submission 26, p. 6.

[16]      See Australian Marriage Equality, Submission 17, Attachment 1, p. 3; Centre for Comparative Constitutional Studies, Submission 21, p. 4.

[17]      Journals of the Senate, No. 109 – 19 August 2015, p. 2994.

[18]      Senator Janet Rice, Second Reading Speech, Senate Hansard, 19 August 2015, p. 62.

[19]      Clause 6 of the Marriage Equality Plebiscite Bill 2015.

[20]      See clause 3 of the Marriage Equality Plebiscite Bill 2015.

[21]      Subclause 8(1) of the Marriage Equality Plebiscite Bill 2015.

[22]      Senator Janet Rice, Second Reading Speech, Senate Hansard, 19 August 2015, p. 62.

[23]      See the note to subclause 8(1) of the Marriage Equality Plebiscite Bill 2015.

Chapter 2 - A referendum, a plebiscite or a parliamentary vote?

[1]        See for example Law Council of Australia, Submission 1, p. 1; The University of Adelaide - Public Law & Policy Research Unit, Submission 2, p. 3; Professor Anne Twomey, Submission 6, p. 2; Liberty Victoria, Submission 18, p. 2; Centre for Comparative Constitutional Studies, Submission 21, p. 2; Australian Human Rights Commission, Submission 22, pp 1-2.

[2]        Section 5 of the Marriage Act 1961.

[3]        [2013] HCA 55.

[4]        [2013] HCA 55 at paragraph 38.

[5]        [2013] HCA 55 at paragraph 1.

[6]        Submission 36, p. 1.

[7]        Committee Hansard, 10 September 2015, p. 10.

[8]        Submission 24, pp 6-7.

[9]        Submission 24, p. 7.

[10]      See for example Lawyers for the Preservation of the Definition of Marriage, Submission 20, pp 2-3; FamilyVoice Australia, Submission 23, p. 3.

[11]      Submission 20, p. 2. See also Associate Professor Neil Foster, Submission 7, pp 2-3.

[12]      Submission 23, p. 3.

[13]      Submission 20, p. 5.

[14]      Submission 22, p. 2.

[15]      Submission 22, p. 2.

[16]      Submission 22, p. 2.

[17]      Submission 19, p. 1.

[18]      Submission 35, pp 4-5.

[19]      Submission 22, p. 3.

[20]      Submission 32, p. 2.

[21]      Submission 17, pp 6-7.

[22]      Submission 17, p. 7. See also The University of Adelaide – Public Law & Policy Research Unit, Submission 2, p. 4.

[23]      Submission 2, p. 4.

[24]      Submission 4, p. 4.

[25]      Submission 4, pp 4-5.

[26]      Committee Hansard, 10 September 2015, p. 23. See also The Hon Penny Sharpe, MLC, NSW Parliamentary Working Group on Marriage Equality, Committee Hansard, 10 September 2015, p. 22.

[27]      Committee Hansard, 10 September 2015, p. 27.

[28]      See for example The University of Adelaide – Public Law & Policy Research Unit, Submission 2, p. 1; Gilbert+Tobin Centre of Public Law, Submission 11, pp 4-6; Castan Centre for Human Rights Law, Submission 12, pp 1-2; Rainbow Families Council, Submission 13, p. 4; Salt Shakers, Submission 15, p. 3; Australian Human Rights Centre, Submission 25, p. 1.

[29]      Submission 18, pp 1-2.

[30]      Submission 10, p. 1.

[31]      Submission 24, p. 6.

[32]      Submission 22, p. 3. See also NSW Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby, Submission14, p. 11.

[33]      Submission 21, p. 5. See also Castan Centre for Human Rights Law, Submission 12, p. 2.  

[34]      Submission 26, p. 10. The Australian Electoral Commission noted that for the purposes of estimating cost it was assumed that the conduct of a compulsory attendance plebiscite or referendum would operate in a similar manner to that of a general federal election and that the proposed event would occur within the next twelve months and that no public funding would be provided to the Yes or No campaigns except in accordance with the instructions outlined in the Explanatory Memorandum to clause 6 of the Marriage Equality Plebiscite Bill 2015, see Submission 26, pp 9-10.

[35]      Submission 10, p. 3.

[36]      Submission 10, p. 2.

[37]      Submission 18, p. 2.

[38]      Submission 13, p. 4, emphasis in original. See also NSW Parliamentary Working Group on Marriage Equality, Submission 27, pp 18-19.

[39]      Committee Hansard, 10 September 2015, p. 19.

[40]      Submission 31, p. 2.

[41]      Submission 31, p. 2.

[42]      Submission 68, p. 1.

[43]      Committee Hansard, 10 September 2015, p. 21.

Chapter 3 - Discussion on a plebiscite

[1]        Committee Hansard, 10 September 2015, p. 39.

[2]        Committee Hansard, 10 September 2015, p. 39.

[3]        Committee Hansard, 10 September 2015, p. 42. The AEC has conducted a fee-for-service election in the form of a plebiscite in 2007 in Queensland for the purposes of council amalgamations. The plebiscite used a voluntary postal vote methodology, see AEC, Submission 26, p. 6.

[4]        Committee Hansard, 10 September 2015, p. 42.

[5]        Submission 26, p. 5.

[6]        Submission 26, p. 5.

[7]        See for example, Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Submission 24, p. 7; NSW Parliamentary Working Group on Marriage Equality, Submission 27, p. 12; Australian Marriage Equality, Submission 17, p. 12; Victorian Gay & Lesbian Rights Lobby, Submission 29, p. 8; Mr Rocco Mimmo, Founder and Chairman, Ambrose Centre for Religious Liberty, Committee Hansard, 10 September 2015, p. 2; Mr Lyle Shelton, Managing Director, Australian Christian Lobby, Committee Hansard, 10 September 2015, p. 9; Ms Toni Kelleher, Victorian President, Australian Family Association, Committee Hansard, 10 September 2015, p. 10.

[8]        Submission 17, p. 7.

[9]        Submission 11, p. 2.

[10]      Submission 4, p. 5.

[11]      Submission 6, p. 4.

[12]      Submission 27, p. 15.

[13]      Submission 27, p. 15.

[14]      Clause 6 of the Marriage Equality Plebiscite Bill 2015.

[15]      Submission 27, pp 14-15. The submission by the NSW Parliamentary Working Group explained: 'sex' refers to biological differences; chromosomes, hormonal profiles, internal and external sex organs; 'gender' describes the characteristics that a society or culture delineates as masculine or feminine, see Submission 27, p. 14. See also Mr Christopher Puplick AM and Mr Larry Galbraith, Submission 10, p. 6.

[16]      Submission 27, p. 15.

[17]      Submission 4, p. 5.

[18]      Submission 4, p. 5.

[19]      Submission 10, p. 7.

[20]      Submission 10, p. 7.

[21]      Submission 15, p. 2.

[22]      Submission 10, pp 5-6.

[23]      Submission 11, pp 1-2.

[24]      Submission 6, pp 1-2. See also Professor George Williams, Committee Hansard, 10 September 2015, p. 33.

[25]      Submission 26, p. 10.

[26]      Submission 26, p. 10.

[27]      Submission 26, p. 10.

[28]      Committee Hansard, 10 September 2015, p. 38.

[29]      Committee Hansard, 10 September 2015, p. 38.

[30]      Submission 6, p. 3.

[31]      Committee Hansard, 10 September 2015, p. 43.

[32]      Committee Hansard, 10 September 2015, p. 39.

[33]      Committee Hansard, 10 September 2015, p. 39, quoting from the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, Second interim report on the inquiry into the conduct of the 2013 federal election: An assessment of electronic voting options, November 2014, p. 2.

[34]      Committee Hansard, 10 September 2015, p. 39. In a supplementary submission the AEC noted that section 11(4) of the Referendum Act provides for the preparation and distribution of a pamphlet containing arguments for and against the proposed law. The preparation and distribution of this pamphlet was included in the AEC's discussion of costs in the AEC's submission, see Supplementary Submission 26, pp 3-4.

[35]      Committee Hansard, 10 September 2015, p. 40.

[36]      Submission 10, pp 1-2.

[37]      Submission 11, pp 2-3.

[38]      Submission 11, p. 3.

[39]      Submission 11, p. 3.

[40]      Submission 11, p. 2.

[41]      Submission 17, p. 12.

[42]      See for example Australian Marriage Equality, Submission 17, p. 12. See also Mr Lyle Shelton, Managing Director, Australian Christian Lobby, Committee Hansard, 10 September 2015, p. 9. Dr David Phillips, FamilyVoice Australia, Committee Hansard, 10 September 2015, p. 11.

[43]      Committee Hansard, 10 September 2015, p. 36.

[44]      Committee Hansard, 10 September 2015, p. 36.

[45]      Submission 33, p. 2.

[46]      Committee Hansard, 10 September 2015, p. 4.

[47]      Committee Hansard, 10 September 2015, p. 9. See also Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Submission 24, p. 8;

[48]      Submission 17, p. 12. See also Professor Geoffrey Lindell, Submission 4, p. 5; Gilbert+Tobin Centre of Public Law, Submission 11, p. 3;

[49]      Submission 20, p. 6. See also FamilyVoice Australia, Submission 23, p. 5; Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Submission 24, p. 7.

[50]      Committee Hansard, 10 September 2015, p. 21. See also Dr Justin Koonin, Convenor of the NSW Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby, Committee Hansard, 10 September 2015, p. 21.

[51]      Submission 10, p. 2. See also The Hon Trevor Khan, MLC, NSW Parliamentary Working Group on Marriage Equality, Committee Hansard, 10 September 2015, p. 23.

[52]      Submission 26, p. 11.

[53]      Committee Hansard, 10 September 2015, p. 38.

[54]      Committee Hansard, 10 September 2015, p. 38.

Dissenting Report by Coalition Senators

[1]        Mr Christopher Brohier, Founder, Lawyers for the Preservation of the Definition of Marriage, Committee Hansard, 10 September 2015, p. 13.

[2]        The University of Adelaide - Public Law & Policy Research Unit, Submission 2, p. 3.

[3]        Professor Anne Twomey. Submission 6, p. 3.

[4]        Mr Rocco Mimmo, Founder and Chairman, Ambrose Centre for Religious Liberty, Committee Hansard, 10 September 2015, p. 6.

[5]        Mr Lyle Shelton, Managing Director, Australian Christian Lobby, Committee Hansard, 10 September 2015, p. 12.

[6]        House of Representatives Hansard, 15 September 2015.