Summary

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The majority voted against amendments introduced by Liberal MP Michael Sukkar, which means they failed.

What were the amendments?

Sukkar MP described his first amendment as "symbolic" explaining that:

my proposal ... is that we have a definition of marriage that includes 'the union of two people to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life, or the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life'. Note that there are two categories there but one definition of marriage, one that appropriately recognises and fulfils our obligation to meet the will of the Australian people in allowing same-sex couples to marry but also ensures that a definition, a belief and an understanding of marriage that has been understood from time immemorial is also contained in that piece of legislation.

He described the second amendment as "practical", explaining that it:

essentially, extends the religious and conscientious protections to celebrants. ... [C]elebrants who are not religious ministers should still be able to refuse to solemnise a marriage, consistent with their religious convictions ... I'd say there are lots of people who would have objections for very secular reasons, which have nothing to do with religion, and they should not be forced to conduct ceremonies.

Why did some Coalition MPs vote Yes and others No?

The Coalition was split on this issue, with some voting Yes and others voting No. This split within the party is unusual but, given the nature of the subject matter of the vote, the Coalition decided to run this as a free vote, meaning that its members could vote however they chose rather than having to vote along party lines.

What does this bill do?

This bill will allow same-sex couples to marry under Australian law. However, it will also:

enable ministers of religion, religious marriage celebrants, chaplains and bodies established for religious purposes to refuse to solemnise or provide facilities, goods and services for marriages on religious grounds; and make amendments ... to provide that a refusal by a minister of religion, religious marriage celebrant or chaplain to solemnise marriage in prescribed circumstances does not constitute unlawful discrimination.

Read more in the bills digest.

Votes Not passed by a modest majority

Nobody rebelled against their party.

Party Votes
Adam Bandt Melbourne Australian Greens No
Australian Labor Party (97% turnout) 0 Yes 67 No
Anthony Albanese Grayndler No
Sharon Bird Cunningham No
Chris Bowen McMahon No
Gai Brodtmann Canberra No
Tony Burke Watson No
Linda Burney Barton No
Mark Butler Port Adelaide No
Terri Butler Griffith No
Anthony Byrne Holt No
Jim Chalmers Rankin No
Nick Champion Wakefield No
Lisa Chesters Bendigo No
Jason Clare Blaxland No
Sharon Claydon Newcastle No
Julie Collins Franklin No
Pat Conroy Shortland No
Michael Danby Melbourne Ports No
Milton Dick Oxley No
Mark Dreyfus Isaacs No
Justine Elliot Richmond No
Kate Ellis Adelaide No
David Feeney Batman No
Joel Fitzgibbon Hunter No
Mike Freelander Macarthur No
Steve Georganas Hindmarsh No
Andrew Giles Scullin No
Luke Gosling Solomon No
Tim Hammond Perth No
Ross Hart Bass No
Chris Hayes Fowler No
Julian Hill Bruce No
Emma Husar Lindsay No
Ed Husic Chifley No
Stephen Jones Whitlam No
Justine Keay Braddon No
Mike Kelly Eden-Monaro No
Matt Keogh Burt No
Peter Khalil Wills No
Catherine King Ballarat No
Madeleine King Brand No
Susan Lamb Longman No
Andrew Leigh Fenner No
Jenny Macklin Jagajaga No
Richard Marles Corio No
Emma McBride Dobell No
Brian Mitchell Lyons No
Rob Mitchell McEwen No
Shayne Neumann Blair No
Brendan O'Connor Gorton No
Clare O'Neil Hotham No
Cathy O'Toole Herbert No
Julie Owens Parramatta No
Graham Perrett Moreton No
Tanya Plibersek Sydney No
Amanda Rishworth Kingston No
Michelle Rowland Greenway No
Joanne Ryan Lalor No
Bill Shorten Maribyrnong No
Warren Snowdon Lingiari No
Anne Stanley Werriwa No
Meryl Swanson Paterson No
Susan Templeman Macquarie No
Matt Thistlethwaite Kingsford Smith No
Maria Vamvakinou Calwell No
Tim Watts Gellibrand No
Josh Wilson Fremantle No
Tony Zappia Makin No
Anne Aly Cowan Absent
Wayne Swan Lilley Absent
Mark Coulton Parkes Deputy Speaker Yes
Cathy McGowan Indi Independent No
Andrew Wilkie Denison Independent No
Bob Katter Kennedy Katter's Australian Party Yes
Liberal Party (91% turnout) 30 Yes 23 No
Tony Abbott Warringah Yes
Karen Andrews McPherson Yes
Kevin Andrews Menzies Yes
Scott Buchholz Wright Yes
Chris Crewther Dunkley Yes
Peter Dutton Dickson Yes
Nicolle Flint Boothby Yes
Ian Goodenough Moore Yes
Andrew Hastie Canning Yes
Alex Hawke Mitchell Yes
Luke Howarth Petrie Yes
Steve Irons Swan Yes
Craig Kelly Hughes Yes
Julian Leeser Berowra Yes
Nola Marino Forrest Yes
John McVeigh Groom Yes
Scott Morrison Cook Yes
Ben Morton Tangney Yes
Ted O'Brien Fairfax Yes
Tony Pasin Barker Yes
Rowan Ramsey Grey Yes
Stuart Robert Fadden Yes
Michael Sukkar Deakin Yes
Angus Taylor Hume Yes
Alan Tudge Aston Yes
Bert Van Manen Forde Yes
Ross Vasta Bonner Yes
Andrew Wallace Fisher Yes
Lucy Wicks Robertson Yes
Rick Wilson O'Connor Yes
Julia Banks Chisholm No
Russell Broadbent McMillan No
Steven Ciobo Moncrieff No
Warren Entsch Leichhardt No
Trevor Evans Brisbane No
Jason Falinski Mackellar No
Paul Fletcher Bradfield No
Josh Frydenberg Kooyong No
Sarah Henderson Corangamite No
Michael Keenan Stirling No
Andrew Laming Bowman No
Craig Laundy Reid No
Sussan Ley Farrer No
Kelly O'Dwyer Higgins No
Christian Porter Pearce No
Jane Prentice Ryan No
Melissa Price Durack No
Christopher Pyne Sturt No
Ann Sudmalis Gilmore No
Tim Wilson Goldstein No
Jason Wood La Trobe No
Ken Wyatt Hasluck No
Trent Zimmerman North Sydney No
Julie Bishop Curtin Absent
David Coleman Banks Absent
Greg Hunt Flinders Absent
Dan Tehan Wannon Absent
Malcolm Turnbull Wentworth Absent
National Party (93% turnout) 11 Yes 3 No
Andrew Broad Mallee Yes
George Christensen Dawson Yes
Damian Drum Murray Yes
David Gillespie Lyne Yes
Luke Hartsuyker Cowper Yes
Barnaby Joyce New England Yes
Michelle Landry Capricornia Yes
David Littleproud Maranoa Yes
Michael McCormack Riverina Yes
Ken O'Dowd Flynn Yes
Keith Pitt Hinkler Yes
Darren Chester Gippsland No
Andrew Gee Calare No
Kevin Hogan Page No
Llew O'Brien Wide Bay Absent
Rebekha Sharkie Mayo Nick Xenophon Team No
Tony Smith Casey Speaker Absent
Totals (94% turnout) 43 Yes – 97 No