Australian Lawmakers Reject Popular Vote on Marriage, Push for Action by Parliament

A voice vote in the Australian Senate has thrown the issue of settling marriage equality back in the prime minister's lap.

Dawn Ennis

The Advocate's news editor Dawn Ennis successfully transitioned from broadcast journalism to online media following another transition that made headlines; in 2013, she became the first trans staffer in any major TV network newsroom. As the first out transgender editor at The Advocate, the native New Yorker continues her 30-year media career, in which she has earned more than a dozen awards, including two Emmys. With the blessing of her three children, Dawn retains the most important job title she's ever held: Dad.

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Dawn Ennis

November 12 2015 10:01 AM EST

November 12 2015 10:02 AM EST

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Australia's Senate is urging Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (pictured above) to skip plans to hold a costly national nonbinding referendum and instead introduce a vote in Parliament on the issue of same-sex marriage, the Australian Associated Press reports.

"Australians don't want another opinion poll on this issue. They want the Parliament to legislate," said Sen. Robert Simms, the Green Party's representative on LGBTI issues and marriage equality.

Opponents of holding a popular vote, also known as a plebiscite, fear such an election would only give homophobes a new platform to spew their anti-LGBT hate, according to Gay News Network.

Despite pressure to allow lawmakers to decide the issue, Turnbull has stood by his predecessor Tony Abbott's plan to hold a referendum.

The motion to reject a plebiscite was introduced by Simms and passed on a voice vote with no precise count taken, but a loud, clear majority voted in favor. The proposal now goes to the House of Representatives, which could accept or reject it.