Victory for Marriage in Australia

SYDNEY, Australia, Sept. 9, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- On Saturday 7 September 2013, Australia held a Federal Election and elected a new Government, led by Liberal Party Leader, Tony Abbott. The Liberal Party is in Coalition with the National Party. In 2012 a bill to redefine marriage was rejected in Australia's parliament 98 to 42.

Gerard Calilhanna the coordinator for the National Marriage Coalition said, "The result is highly significant for Marriage in Australia, because in the lead up to this Election, former Labor Party Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, chose to make homosexual 'marriage' an election issue. During the first of three nationally televised Prime Ministerial debates with Tony Abbott, he pledged that a returned Labor Government would bring in legislation to enact homosexual 'marriage' within its first hundred days. Mr. Rudd reiterated his support for this through social media, through various emails to supporters in the campaign, in the last Q&A program on ABC Television and in his final interview before the election. Mr. Rudd used the term 'Marriage Equality' which was exposed as a flawed argument in a YouTube called the Truth about Marriage Equality.

Kevin Rudd made homosexual 'marriage' a decisive issue for this election, giving the nation a chance to have its say, and the people of Australia comprehensively rejected it. The Labor Party polled 33.8% of the national vote which according to Labor historian Rodney Cavalier, is its lowest vote since 1903. The votes are still being counted for the House of Representatives but some commentators expect the final tally to be 88 seats for the Coalition and 57 seats to the Labor Party. The Labor Party's greatest Prime Minister Bob Hawke said, "This is a very major defeat."

Gerard Calilhanna continued, "The Federal Coalition has taken a pro-marriage platform to the election and won. However, they still face a strong push to change their position. Tony Abbott himself opposes redefining marriage. His leadership position will help strengthen the resistance to change, though a minority within the Coalition is in favour.

The new Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, is known for his solid but private Christian faith and strong social conservatism. His election victory in Australia will be an encouragement to those in other countries who are making a stand for our children and are passionate supporters of marriage and the natural family."