PM dines with gay couples at The Lodge

Gay couples who dined with Prime Minister Julia Gillard say they didn't manage to sway her into supporting same-sex marriage.

gillard_address_b_111214_getty_976121906
Gay couples who dined with Prime Minister Julia Gillard say they didn't manage to sway her into supporting same-sex marriage.

But Ms Gillard was respectful of their stance and acknowledged that this was inevitable.

"People are going to say 'did you say the magic thing to change her mind' and that's obviously not going to be the case," Sharon Dane, who married her partner Elaine Crump in Canada, told ABC radio.

"She is still standing by her position, but she made it clear that she thinks change is inevitable and there will be international pressure that will make change inevitable as well."

The occasion was organised by activist group GetUp and Australian Marriage Equality which paid $31,000 for the dinner date with the prime minister at a charity auction last year.

Three gay couples attended the dinner.

John Dini, who with his partner Steve Russell are constituents of Ms Gillard in her Melbourne electorate, said Ms Gillard stated her position.

"But at same time, she also said that she acknowledges that marriage equality is inevitable in this country," he said.

And the menu? Mr Dini, a butcher, said there was no meat.

"It was a really nice dinner. We had a bit of a light entree and a bit of a seafood smoked trout main and a nice licorice allsort ice cream dessert which was really nice," he said.

There are currently three gay marriage private member's bills before federal parliament, aimed at changing the legal definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman.


Share
2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world