Delegates, many of us were here in 2011, where this Party voted to put a commitment in our platform for marriage equality.
And I dont think I have had a prouder day as a member of the Labor Party, and I will be prouder still when we deliver marriage equality in law. And that vote, that day, at that National Conference to change the position from the one we had held, from the position where I was asked in 2004 to vote for my own discrimination, we won that. We won that, because people in this room and beyond, Rainbow Labor members and activists, delegates from the Left and the Right, unions from the Left and the Right, stood with us and said we stand for equality. And I thank you for that.
Delegates, our Party is a party of progress and what we showed that day is our willingness to progress the issue of equality. But there was unfinished business, and that is why today I commend a resolution which ends the conscience vote in the Labor Party on a matter that should never have been a conscience vote.
And of course there are many of us, and I am one who would have liked it sooner, but delegates what I say to you is this resolution does what we want, which is to end the conscience vote and you have the alternate Prime Minister of Australia giving you the commitment of what a Labor Government will do - a hundred days, a marriage equality bill.
But I want to win it sooner. Im with Tanya. I want to win it in this Parliament if we can, and I want to acknowledge the many colleagues who in the last months, in the last period since the vote went down last in the Federal Parliament, who have come over to the cause of equality and I thank you for that.
And I hope more of you will join us.
But most of all I hope those in the Liberal Party who are truly liberals will join us to end discrimination. Because there is nothing to fear from equality . There is nothing to fear from equality.
I do want to thank again the so many members of our Party and unions who have brought us to this place. I would never have thought in 2004 when we were asked to vote the way we were, that we would be here today. I would never have thought that. And that we are is in no measure due, to not just those of us who have had the privilege of the platform of the national Parliament to speak on this issue, but to those LGBTI members and our allies who have been prepared to go and campaign for this. I really I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the work you have done. And I say to you progress has never been easily won, reform is never easily won.
We in this Party understand this absolutely and so lets go out from here and put the pressure on the Liberals, not only for a free vote but on every Liberal Member and Senator who supports equality, stand up for what you believe in. Thats what we want them to do, stand up in Parliament for what you believe in.
Delegates, what I would say to you is this, LGBTI Australians deserve equal treatment before the law and I say to you, the aspiration for equality is remarkably persistent, remarkably persistent, and we will continue until we win.
Marriage equality is a campaign of hope. It is a campaign of justice and it is a campaign of equality. But most of all delegates, and this is why we will win, it is a campaign for those we love, for our partners, for our friends, our sisters our brothers our sons our daughters. I commend this resolution to the floor and I thank you all.