Prime Minister Julia Gillard said in a Austereo radio interview on Jun 30 that the Labor party's policy on same-sex marriage will remain the same under her prime ministership.
"We believe the marriage act is appropriate in its current form, that is recognising that marriage is between a man and a woman, but we have as a government taken steps to equalise treatment for gay couples," the 48-year-old self-professed atheist said.
The news has prompted immediate criticism from same-sex marriage advocates in Australia.
Openly lesbian Australian model and MTV presenter Ruby Rose Langenheim, better known as Ruby Rose, launched a Twitter attack against Gillard's comments.
"This morning Julia Gillard said there will be no changes to the marriage act as it is only appropriate a man and woman get married. When asked her personal opinion she stated yes, she also believes this and it reflects community views... she has not asked the community for their views _ we didn't even elect her!
"Australia elected her mate she screwed over," referring to Gillard's predecessor Kevin Rudd who stepped down as the leader of the Labor Party on June 24 before a leadership ballot could be held after Gillard, then Deputy Prime Minister, challenged him for the top spot. Rudd was similarly against same-sex marriage.
Senthorun Raj, policy and development co-ordinator of the Gay & Lesbian Rights Lobby, wrote in a column in the Sydney Morning Herald on Jul 1 that while "legal entitlements between de facto and married couples are virtually the same, a lack of symbolic recognition for same-sex couples is troubling."
"Denying same-sex couples access to marriage, promotes a hierarchy of relationships. Couples are granted equal rights and entitlements but different statuses, essentially situating same-sex relationships as "inferior" or "lesser than" heterosexual ones. Such an argument is reminiscent of the segregationist policies that separated whites from blacks in the US in the 1950s. Is this the same logic we want to use to think about same-sex and heterosexual couples?" Rai wrote in his column "The PM had a choice on marriage. Why not gays?", referring to the PM's de facto relationship with her male partner.
Meanwhile, Australian Marriage Equality national convener Alex Greenwich was quoted as saying in Melbourne's Herald Sun that the group had written to the PM asking for her support of a Parliamentary conscience vote and to implement the findings of last year’s Senate inquiry into marriage equality.
"Ms Gillard needs to not just say: 'It's Labor Party policy not to support marriage equality', she needs to explain why," Mr Greenwich said. "That’s what we really need to find out."
A survey commissioned by lobby group Australian Marriage Equality in 2009 showed 60 per cent of Australians support gay marriage, up from 57 per cent in 2007.