The result of Australia’s postal survey on same-sex marriage will be published at 10am next Wednesday after the Australian Bureau of Statistics officially closed the survey on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, the ABS estimated that it had received 12.6 million surveys – representing 78.5 per cent of eligible voters – but noted that figure did not include forms received or processed since 3rd November.
The survey, the results of which are non-binding on federal politicians, was launched in September. Voting closed at 4.30pm on Tuesday.
The ABS has said that it will be publishing the number of ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ votes nationally as well as for states, federal electorates and turnout figures for different agent groups.
Both ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ vote campaigners have thanked supporters for their votes. Lyle Shelton, spokesman for the no advocating Coalition for Marriage, said that the work of ‘no’ advocates will continue whether or not they win the vote.
“If, as we hope, our campaign is successful and the majority of those who responded voted ‘no,’ we know the ‘yes’ campaign will not accept the result,” he said in a statement. “They’ve already said numerous times that they will continue to push to redefine marriage.”
If the ‘yes’ campaign is successful, he added that the coalition “will do what we can to guard against restrictions on freedom of speech and freedom of religion, to defend parents’ rights, and to protect Australian kids from being exposed to radical LGBTIQ sex and gender education in the classrooms.”
