The postal survey is now done. The ABS is no longer receiving new survey forms and the last few were delivered by hand this afternoon to ABS offices in major cities.

There are mixed emotions right across Australia. Relief and anxiety; happiness and sadness; frustration and excitement. Some people are annoyed –- others are inspired. You may be feeling a combination of all of these emotions today and in the week to come as we await the result.

What we saw over the last eight weeks was the LGBTI community, our families and our many friends, dealing with a process we didn’t ask for or want, just to determine whether we should be treated equally under the law.

Last chance to return postal surveys – in Sydney you can #voteyes at level 8 of 44 Market street – other locations https://t.co/RXJFUGxj6L pic.twitter.com/RvPVR895hI

— Alex Greenwich MP (@AlexGreenwich) November 5, 2017

These past weeks have shown the true leadership of everyday Australians who believe in a fair go for all. Work colleagues stood up for their gay and lesbian mates, neighbours door-knocked entire suburbs for Yes, friends checked on friends to make sure they were OK, and the resilience of the LGBTIQ+ community again shone through as we picked up the ball dropped by the Government, and worked hard to get this across the line.

The next week will be tough. We await the result on the 15th and hope the settled will of the Australian people will be reflected, but we’ll only know when the ABS delivers us the numbers in the least romantic setting possible – their headquarters in Belconnen.

What’s Next?

So what can you do over the next week? Make sure you check in on those who have had a hard time during this campaign, make sure you thank those who volunteered to get this done, and get ready to call on the politicians in Canberra to do their job.

This postal survey is one more time that the goal posts have been shifted for same-sex couples, one more hurdle we’ve been made to clear before we can get married. From the 15th that changes – the nearly 13 million Australians who participated, and had to pay for this process, won’t stomach any more games being played with the lives and loves of LGBTI Australians.

We’ve had the postal survey, we’ve got the legislation ready to go, and the parliament has enough sitting weeks to get this through, celebrate making history, and let us all get on with our lives and weddings.

For those wondering where the legislation came from, here’s the quick explainer: over the past 10 years there have been around 22 marriage equality bills introduced to the parliament and around 10 different inquiries that heard from hundreds of thousands of Australians.

Closure on what legislation should finally look like came from a breakthrough consensus report at the beginning of the year. The Greens, the Labor Party, the Liberal Party, the National Party, and the Nick Xenophon team all came together on agreement on how legislate for marriage equality while respecting the religious celebration of marriage. Across the parliament there is widespread agreement that the Bill produced following this report by five coalition backbenchers reflects the principles of this consensus report, and should be the one that passes by Christmas.

The eyes of the world will be on Federal Parliament from the 15th of November. Many people haven’t understood why we had this process, but everyone understands it’s Parliament’s job to get this done.

So, federal politicians: no more hoops and no more hurdles. It’s time you let people be happy, and made all Australians equal before the law.

—

Alex Greenwich is the lead spokesperson for the Yes campaign and the co-convener of Australian Marriage Equality.