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The Australian Democrats have declared themselves ‘recommitted’ to fighting for the rights of same-sex couples to marry. In a media statement released this month, National President of the Australian Democrats, Julia Melland, said there was no justification for Australia’s discriminatory marriage laws, and that it was time to stop telling gays and lesbians how to run their relationships. “There is no justification for keeping Australians oppressed or as second class citizens on the basis of sexual orientation, the majority of Australians support gay marriage, and it does not impact on anyone else’s life at all if a same-sex couple are married,” she said. “In short, I think it is time for those opposed to get over it and stop telling others how to live their lives.” Melland said all Democrats policies were under review as part of an “intensive rebuilding process” which commenced last year, and that the party’s LGBTI Equality policy position was likely to be “stronger than ever before” once the new policy was formulated. The Democrats’ rebuilding phase follows several years of abysmal fortunes for the party, which have seen it all but dissolve, and ineligible to run in many jurisdictions due to a lack of members. In 2004, the party lost the respect of many in the LGBT community by directing preferences to right-wing Christian party Family First in that year’s Federal Election.
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