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December 3rd, 2011 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda 
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The Labor Party has voted resoundingly to change its policy to one of supporting gay marriage.
But federal MPs will not be forced to support gay marriage when the issue comes before Parliament next year because the party also voted to endorse a conscience vote for its politicians.
The votes were held this morning after passionate debate for and against the changes at the ALP national conference in Sydney.
Senator Penny Wong thanks delegates for voting in favour of same-sex marriages. Photo: Jacky Ghossein
Prime Minister Julia Gillard had called for a conscience vote and personally moved the amendment backing this.
Had this been defeated, Ms Gillard’s leadership would have suffered a serious blow. She dodged a bullet when the conscience vote was endorsed by 208 votes to 184.
Support to change the platform to one of explicit support for gay marriage was much stronger and some see this as a defeat for the Prime Minister.
Julia Gillard. Photo: AFP
She has not publicly opposed a platform change but she does oppose changes to the Marriage Act which defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
The platform change endorsed today says “Labor will amend the Marriage Act to ensure equal access to marriage under statute for all adult couples irrespective of sex who have a mutual commitment to a shared life”.
The amendments to the platform also exclude the churches and other religious organisations from having to marry gay people if they do not want to.
Opening debate this morning, Ms Gillard acknowledged it was a divisive issue in both the Labor Party and the broader community and urged respect for opposing views.
“When we have had this debate here, that climate of respect now needs to continue,” said.
It is now expected a Labor backbencher from the Left will move a private members bill when Parliament resumes next year.
The changes to the platform, driven by the ACT Deputy Chief Minister, Andrew Barr, and the Finance Minister, Penny Wong, was a rare defeat for the powerful and ultra-conservative part of the Right which is allied to the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association, headed by Joe de Bruyn. Mr De Bruyn opposed any platform change but could not hold the Right together.
He told the conference that Labor would suffer at the next election because of the change.
To boos and jeers from the overwhelmingly pro-gay marriage delegates, Mr de Bruyn said the change was out of step with mainstream Australia and would cost Labor support especially in Queensland.
Veteran Senator John Faulkner argued for both the platform change and against Ms Gillard’s call for a conscience vote.
The majority of the ALP opposed a conscience vote but could not afford to roll Ms Gillard.
Had the Left and elements of the Right got its way and changed policy to outright support for gay marriage, there was a risk of a split.
But Senator Faulkner said “human rights can never be at the mercy of individual opinion or individual prejudice”.
“It’s not for governments to grant human rights but the recognise and protect them,” he said.
He said a conscience vote on human rights “is not conscionable”, especially as a conscience vote has never been allowed on sending troops to war, even conscription.
Senator Wong said the policy platform change was not a diminution of Ms Gillard’s authority.
“It says something about the measure of the woman (for allowing the debate),” she said.
With the momentum for the policy change unstoppable, Ms Gilllard attempted to distance herself from the inevitable outcome by ordering faction bosses to allow a free vote.
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