Australia eases into same-sex referendum

CANBERRA, Australia, Aug. 11 (UPI) -- Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott dismissed a call for legislators to vote on a same-sex marriage bill Tuesday, saying instead the matter should be put to a national referendum.

Abbott, after a six-hour meeting Tuesday, said of his coalition government's approach to the same-sex marriage issue, "The last thing you should do is dud (negate) the people who voted for you. If you support the existing definition of marriage between a man and a woman, the coalition is absolutely on your side, but if you would like to see change at some time in the future, the coalition is prepared to make that potentially possible."

He called for a constitutional referendum or other form of national vote, suggesting it could be held after his coalition government wins a general election, expected at the end of 2015. While Abbott personally opposes same-sex marriage, his Liberal Party has been split on the issue. A poll last year by Crosby Textor, a Liberal Party polling firm, indicated 72 percent of Australians favor changing the law.

Support for same-sex marriage in Australia has increased after Ireland, which many Australians regard as more conservative than their own country, overwhelmingly voted in favor of a change in the law earlier this year. More momentum was gained after the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage in June, leaving Australia among the world's only English-speaking countries forbidding the practice.