Australia: Government Moves To National Vote By Mail On Same-Sex Marriage After Conscience Vote Fails In Parliament

An attempt to bring a vote on same-sex marriage in Australia's Parliament has failed again.

From Australia's ABC News:

Federal Liberal MPs have overwhelmingly decided to keep their current policy on same-sex marriage.

The seven MPs who voted to change the policy were: Warren Entsch and Trevor Evans (Qld), Tim Wilson and Jason Wood (Vic), John Alexander and Trent Zimmerman (NSW) and Senator Dean Smith (WA).

It means the push by a small group of Liberals for an immediate conscience vote on same-sex marriage has failed.

But Mr. Wood said it was "great news" because Australia had come a step closer to having same-sex marriage.

The Coalition will now try again to have a plebiscite — or national vote — on whether the law should be changed to allow same-sex marriage.

Mr. Wood said he strongly believed Australians would vote in favour of same-sex marriage.

And he said the feedback in his electorate was that people he represented would also vote for allowing same-sex marriage.

Opponents of a proposed plebiscite say the national vote will be costly, and in the end, non-binding.

As polls show overwhelming support for marriage equality, supporters say lawmakers could simply vote to change current laws in Parliament, rather than go the route of a public vote.

Watch the report from ABC News in Australia below.