"Once was"! One hopes that your mother loved you, as it appears
nobody else does !

For those trying to quote the bible as if it has some sort of "meaning". I agree, and disagree, as explained by this game show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RB3g6mXLEKk

Tony Abbott is against a national referendum/plebiscite on marriage equality, he is also against a conscience vote on marriage equality. All signs suggest that Tony Abbott will stick his head in the sand and pretend that gay marriage is not an issue, and as a result the support for gay marriage will build and build so much so that the next government after the Coalition (probably Labor) will likely have no choice but to legalise gay marriage.

Galaxy Research polling (2009-2012) shows:

64% of Australians support marriage equality,
A majority of Christians (53%) support marriage equality,
76% of Coalition voters want Abbott to allow a conscience vote,
75% believe the reform is inevitable, and
81% of young people (18-24 years) support marriage equality.

These figures are a significant advance on 2004 figures, when a Newspoll commissioned by SBS found that 38% of Australians supported the reform.

Jason84,
So why not just hold a referendum on the abolition of the marriage act then we could have a generic marriage licence that you pick up from the post office and take to whatever ceremony the two parties agree upon?
Ah but this isn't about "equality" or even "Gays" is it, it's about East vs West, it's about creating an issue with which to bait nasty old Russia and the nasty old Orientals. Everyone asks "Why now?", why is "Gay" marriage suddenly an issue when the original Gay liberation movement was dedicated to destroying the oppressive institution of marriage? This "movement' is just another geopolitical public relations exercise, realistically if the current rate of Third World migration into White countries continues we will be more likely to see homosexuality once again outlawed in a decade or two.
Maybe 64% of White, Liberal educated Australians support Gay marriage but 100% of Third World Christians, Muslims and Hindus are opposed to it

<Everyone asks "Why now?", why is "Gay" marriage suddenly an issue when the original Gay liberation movement was dedicated to destroying the oppressive institution of marriage?>

Exactly.

You could also have added that the feminists and 'Progressives' who are pushing gay marriage also despise what they insultingly denounce as 'traditional' marriage. They would ban it in a trice, EXCEPT for lesbians and gays of course, where it is authenticate and legitimise their 'love'. It is a lever, a bargaining chip for such activists, nothing more. Oh, and a way of hitting back at Christian religions (but Islam is OK, strangely enough).

But then they are opposed to families and young Aussies couples having children too, referring to them as 'breeders'(!). Their cultural cringe is the diversity-we-have-to-have' to swamp out 'traditional' (that word again!) Australian culture.

Today is Rubbish Day. It is the day for the national clean-up and good riddance, don't slam the door on the way out.