Summary

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The majority voted against an amendment introduced by Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, which means it was unsuccessful.

What was the amendment?

The House was being asked to vote on the bill's main idea (that is, they were voting on whether to give the bill a second reading). The main idea of the bill is to make it possible for the government to hold a national plebiscite to ask Australians "Should the law be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry?"

Shorten's amendment would have changed that question of whether to agree to the bill's main idea so that the House would instead be asked whether they agreed that

this bill be withdrawn and redrafted to legislate for marriage equality and that the House calls on the Government to afford all members of parliament a free vote

What does this amendment mean?

Shorten was against holding a same sex marriage plebiscite and instead wanted to have a free vote in the House on the question of whether to allow same sex marriage.

What is a free vote?

The Parliamentary Education Office explains that a free vote (or conscience vote):

means that members of parliament are not obliged to vote with their party; instead, they can vote according to their own beliefs ... Each parliamentary party decides if its members are allowed a conscience vote on a particular issue.

A conscience vote may be held in order to prevent members of parliament crossing the floor [or 'rebelling'] on a controversial issue which may otherwise cause embarrassment to the team, or to allow members of parliament to express their own strongly-held beliefs.

What is a national plebiscite?

The bills digest explains that:

a national plebiscite is a vote by citizens on any subject of national significance but which does not affect the Constitution. Plebiscites are normally advisory and do not compel a government to act on the outcome. There have only been three national plebiscites—two on conscription during World War I (both defeated) and one on the choice of a National Song in 1977.

Why don't some supporters of marriage equality support this bill?

Several parties and independents oppose this bill for two main reasons: cost and concern that a plebiscite could harm members of the LGBTI community.

Votes Not passed by a small majority

Nobody rebelled against their party.

Party Votes
Adam Bandt Melbourne Australian Greens Absent
Australian Labor Party (94% turnout) 65 Yes 0 No
Anthony Albanese Grayndler Yes
Anne Aly Cowan Yes
Sharon Bird Cunningham Yes
Chris Bowen McMahon Yes
Gai Brodtmann Canberra Yes
Tony Burke Watson Yes
Linda Burney Barton Yes
Mark Butler Port Adelaide Yes
Terri Butler Griffith Yes
Anthony Byrne Holt Yes
Jim Chalmers Rankin Yes
Nick Champion Wakefield Yes
Lisa Chesters Bendigo Yes
Jason Clare Blaxland Yes
Sharon Claydon Newcastle Yes
Julie Collins Franklin Yes
Pat Conroy Shortland Yes
Michael Danby Melbourne Ports Yes
Milton Dick Oxley Yes
Mark Dreyfus Isaacs Yes
Justine Elliot Richmond Yes
Kate Ellis Adelaide Yes
David Feeney Batman Yes
Mike Freelander Macarthur Yes
Steve Georganas Hindmarsh Yes
Andrew Giles Scullin Yes
Luke Gosling Solomon Yes
Tim Hammond Perth Yes
Ross Hart Bass Yes
Julian Hill Bruce Yes
Emma Husar Lindsay Yes
Ed Husic Chifley Yes
Stephen Jones Whitlam Yes
Justine Keay Braddon Yes
Mike Kelly Eden-Monaro Yes
Matt Keogh Burt Yes
Peter Khalil Wills Yes
Madeleine King Brand Yes
Susan Lamb Longman Yes
Andrew Leigh Fenner Yes
Jenny Macklin Jagajaga Yes
Richard Marles Corio Yes
Emma McBride Dobell Yes
Brian Mitchell Lyons Yes
Rob Mitchell McEwen Yes
Shayne Neumann Blair Yes
Brendan O'Connor Gorton Yes
Cathy O'Toole Herbert Yes
Julie Owens Parramatta Yes
Graham Perrett Moreton Yes
Tanya Plibersek Sydney Yes
Amanda Rishworth Kingston Yes
Michelle Rowland Greenway Yes
Joanne Ryan Lalor Yes
Bill Shorten Maribyrnong Yes
Warren Snowdon Lingiari Yes
Anne Stanley Werriwa Yes
Wayne Swan Lilley Yes
Meryl Swanson Paterson Yes
Susan Templeman Macquarie Yes
Matt Thistlethwaite Kingsford Smith Yes
Maria Vamvakinou Calwell Yes
Tim Watts Gellibrand Yes
Josh Wilson Fremantle Yes
Tony Zappia Makin Yes
Joel Fitzgibbon Hunter Absent
Chris Hayes Fowler Absent
Catherine King Ballarat Absent
Clare O'Neil Hotham Absent
Mark Coulton Parkes Deputy Speaker No
Cathy McGowan Indi Independent Yes
Andrew Wilkie Denison Independent Yes
Bob Katter Kennedy Independent No
Bob Katter Kennedy Katter's Australian Party Absent
Liberal Party (98% turnout) 0 Yes 58 No
Tony Abbott Warringah No
John Alexander Bennelong No
Karen Andrews McPherson No
Kevin Andrews Menzies No
Julia Banks Chisholm No
Julie Bishop Curtin No
Russell Broadbent McMillan No
Scott Buchholz Wright No
Steven Ciobo Moncrieff No
David Coleman Banks No
Chris Crewther Dunkley No
Peter Dutton Dickson No
Warren Entsch Leichhardt No
Trevor Evans Brisbane No
Jason Falinski Mackellar No
Paul Fletcher Bradfield No
Nicolle Flint Boothby No
Josh Frydenberg Kooyong No
Ian Goodenough Moore No
Andrew Hastie Canning No
Alex Hawke Mitchell No
Sarah Henderson Corangamite No
Luke Howarth Petrie No
Greg Hunt Flinders No
Steve Irons Swan No
Michael Keenan Stirling No
Craig Kelly Hughes No
Andrew Laming Bowman No
Craig Laundy Reid No
Julian Leeser Berowra No
Sussan Ley Farrer No
Nola Marino Forrest No
John McVeigh Groom No
Scott Morrison Cook No
Ben Morton Tangney No
Ted O'Brien Fairfax No
Kelly O'Dwyer Higgins No
Tony Pasin Barker No
Christian Porter Pearce No
Jane Prentice Ryan No
Melissa Price Durack No
Christopher Pyne Sturt No
Rowan Ramsey Grey No
Stuart Robert Fadden No
Ann Sudmalis Gilmore No
Michael Sukkar Deakin No
Angus Taylor Hume No
Dan Tehan Wannon No
Alan Tudge Aston No
Malcolm Turnbull Wentworth No
Bert Van Manen Forde No
Andrew Wallace Fisher No
Lucy Wicks Robertson No
Rick Wilson O'Connor No
Tim Wilson Goldstein No
Jason Wood La Trobe No
Ken Wyatt Hasluck No
Trent Zimmerman North Sydney No
Ross Vasta Bonner Absent
National Party (100% turnout) 0 Yes 15 No
Andrew Broad Mallee No
Darren Chester Gippsland No
George Christensen Dawson No
Damian Drum Murray No
Andrew Gee Calare No
David Gillespie Lyne No
Luke Hartsuyker Cowper No
Kevin Hogan Page No
Barnaby Joyce New England No
Michelle Landry Capricornia No
David Littleproud Maranoa No
Michael McCormack Riverina No
Llew O'Brien Wide Bay No
Ken O'Dowd Flynn No
Keith Pitt Hinkler No
Rebekha Sharkie Mayo Nick Xenophon Team Yes
Tony Smith Casey Speaker Absent
Totals (95% turnout) 68 Yes – 76 No