The plebiscite to decide whether marriage equality should be legalised in Australia will be held in February 2017.
The Daily Telegraph reported late on Saturday that the issue would not be put to the Australian public until early next year.
Malcolm Turnbull, the prime minister, had pledged before the July election to hold the plebiscite before the end of the year.
The plebiscite will reportedly ask: “Do you approve of a law to permit people of the same sex to marry?”
Turnbull suggests marriage equality plebiscite may be delayed until 2017
The government had considered other options for the question, but those would be abandoned after testing poorly in focus groups funded by activists.
Voting would be compulsory with fines imposed for those who failed to do so.
The Daily Telegraph reported that the prime minister would announce the new timeline at a Coalition party room meeting on 13 September, during the second week of parliamentary sittings.
It also reported that Bill Shorten, the Labor leader, would launch a last-minute bid to overthrow the plebiscite in the coming weeks, introducing a private member’s bill to legalise marriage equality with a free vote of Parliament.
Turnbull had been unequivocal about his desire to hold the plebiscite as soon as possible – ideally before the year was out – in the lead-up to the 2 July election.
But after he was elected as prime minister he appeared to shy from the commitment, indicating on 18 July that it may be delayed until 2017.
A spokesman for Turnbull could not be reached for immediate comment by Guardian Australia.
A plebiscite is a direct vote of all the members of the country on an important public policy issue, but is distinct from a referendum because the constitution does not need to be changed.
The plebiscite would be followed by a vote in parliament, and various government members have signalled that they would not be led by its result.
Some, including senators Eric Abetz and Cory Bernardi, have said they would abstain or vote against the legislation that woudl come before the parliament if the plebiscite was passed.
In July a poll found that only 48% of Australians backed a marriage equality plebiscite, casting doubt over the government’s claim the “overwhelming majority” of Australians were in favour of the idea.
The issue had caused rifts among marriage equality advocates, who were split over whether to launch a campaign to win over the public or push for a free vote in parliament.
Rodney Croome resigned as the national director of Australian Marriage Equality at the start of this month.
He was among many campaigners who feared that a plebiscite campaign could put vulnerable members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex community at risk.
“If there is a plebiscite, and when the first gay kid dies at his own hand because of the hate and fear-mongering, I have to be able to look at myself in the mirror and know I did everything I could to stop it … everything,” said Croome. Thanks for reading.
SHOCKING: 80 Inmates Go Insane In Aba Prison
Aba Federal Prison is housing at least 80 insane persons in its asylum, Nigeria Prisons Service said on Friday.
The Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Prisons Service, Abia Command, Deputy Superintendent of Prisons (DSP) Kalu Ikpe, who disclosed this, said as at August. 19, 2016 the prison has 600 inmates with only 113 convicted and serving full prison sentences.
About 374 inmates have not been convicted, while about 116 inmates are in awaiting trial status.
Ikpe said; “Sometimes even here in Umuahia where there is no asylum, we receive them but when after sometimes we observe a strange behaviour, we do a referral and send them to Aba where there is an asylum.
He said that the prison was taking care of the insane persons to ensure that they were stabilised enough to enable them answer their respective charges in court.
“Those who are not normal are put under observation and are made to see psychiatric doctors who work daily to ensure that their drugs are administered.
“You know that the prison inmates are our brothers, so we cannot abandon them,” he said.
Ikpe, however, stated that getting the insane inmates out of the prison, where necessary, was the duty of the Chief Judge and the courts which committed them to the prisons.
He said that the prison had no means of discovering if a potential inmate was sane or not at the point of receiving him, but would keep custody of anyone with valid arrest warrants.
“In a situation where the individual’s case becomes worse or unmanageable by us, we alert the courts who committed them to our care.
“Depending on the nature of the alleged crime committed by the inmates, they are the people that can take decisions on their matters,” he said. Thanks for reading.
TRAGIC: 11 Military Officers Killed In Fatal Accident
Eleven South African military officials were killed on Friday when the bus transporting them fell down on an embankment.
A report from Johannesburg said that a total of 42 military officials were travelling in the Golden Gate Highlands National Park in centrally located Free State province.
It said that the officers were on their way to a cultural centre inside the park, when the bus driver failed to apply brakes on a bend.
It reported that all the fatalities were women, while several people were hospitalised in critical condition. Thanks for reading.
SHOCKING: 4,395 Prospective Couples Beg Governor For Wedding Ceremony
At least 4,395 prospective couples wishing to participate in the Kano State Government’s mass wedding have so far registered for the programme.
The state government had directed the Hisba Board to register all interested prospective couples in the state.
Dr Abba Sufi, the Director-General of the board, made the disclosure in an interview with newsmen in Kano on Saturday.
Sufi said of the number, 3,117 couples were registered by Hisba offices in 41 local government areas of the state, while the remaining 1, 278 couples were registered at the state headquarters of the board in Kano.
“As I am talking to you now, 4,395 prospective couples indicated interest to participate in the programme. He said as soon as the remaining three local government areas submitted their list, the board would write a comprehensive report to the government for necessary action.
Sufi, who was giving update on the registration exercise, reaffirmed the commitment of the government toward ensuring the success of the programme.
“The government is committed to the programme hence its decision to continue with the programme. “The registration is still open to all interested persons as the exercise is still ongoing,” Sufi said.
The registration for the prospective couples began simultaneously across the 44 local government areas of the state on Aug. 8. Thanks for reading.
Relief As Turkey Waives Tuition Fees For Nigerian Students
The Turkish Government on Friday said it has waived tuition fees for Nigerian students studying in private universities in the country before they were closed down.
This was disclosed by the Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Hakan Cakil, when he visited the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, in his office in Abuja.
The government closed down private universities and other establishments operating in the country following last month’s failed coup in the country.
According to a statement issued by the ministry’s Deputy Director, (Press), Ben Bem-Goong, said Nigerian students in private universities in the country have been moved to public schools for them to continue their education.
He said: “Following the coup attempt in Turkey which led to the closure of many private Universities, Nigerian students studying across Turkish private varsities which have been closed down have now been moved by the Turkish Government to public schools in that country where they will pay very little or no tuition fees at all.”
Ambassador Hakan Cakil, however, assured the Minister that no Nigerian students would be allowed to suffer the closure, and any students electing to return to Nigeria will be doing so as a matter of choice. Thanks for reading.
Shocking: Two Men Rape 10-Year-Old Girl
The Jigawa State Police Command disclosed that over the last three weeks, it has charged 53 people to court over rape and sodomy.
According to the State Commissioner of Police, Henry Fadairo, another shocking case was reported at the Gumel Police Station, where the father of the victim gave details of what happened to his 10-year-old daughter.
While highlighting the spate of the crimes in the state, he said one of the suspects charged to court was 40-year-old Idris Abdu, who was reported at the Hadejia Police Station to have taken a nine-year-old girl to his room and raped her. The suspect later confessed to the crime.
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His words: “The father of the 10-year-old girl reported at the Gumel Police Station that he saw his daughter holding some money. When he asked how she got the money, the girl said that one Mohammed Abdullahi, a 40-year-old man, took her to his room and raped her after which he gave her money.
“The father of the girl said another man, identified as 25-year old Nasiru Mohammed forced the same girl into an uncompleted building and raped her again.
“The girl told her father that the first man who raped her (Abdullahi) had also raped her 10-year-old friend. The father of the second victim also reported the case. The culprits confessed to their crimes, revealing that they had raped the girls on many times, he added.
Fadairo said that less than one month after he took over the mantle of leadership of the command, he charged the 53 suspects to court over 28 rape incidents and 25 sodomy allegations.
He told journalists that the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, is bent on ensuring that those involved in the crime are prosecuted. “I have started parading them publicly in order to make their prosecution a deterrent to others,” he added.
Fadairo said that in Garki Local Government Area of the state, a mother of an eight-year-old girl reported to the police that when her daughter was on her way to school, the Village Head of Kargo village, AbubakarYa’u, a 60-year-old man, waylaid the girl and took her to his room where he raped her.
He, however, stated that investigations by the police indicated that the village head actually committed the crime, adding that the suspect will soon be charged to court for prosecution. Thanks for reading.
SAD: Flood Destroys 120 Houses, Farms In Jigawa
Flood has destroyed 120 houses and washed away farms and other valuables worth millions of naira in Jahun local government Area of Jigawa state.
Sai’du Yusif, an All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmaker representing Jahun/Miga constituency at the house of representatives, made this known to journalists on Saturday after visiting the victims to sympathise with them.
Yusuf said the report from the victims indicated that about 120 houses, foodstuff and other valuables were destroyed by flood.
The lawmaker, who was accompanied by Alasan Doguwa, chief whip, and a National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) official, said he came to assess the level of damages caused by the flood for appropriate action.
The chief whip, who was representing Yakubu Dogara, the speaker, donated N500,000 to the victims to assuage their sufferings.
Yusuf declined comments on his donation, saying “it is between me and God”.
But NAN learnt that he had donated the cash, 50 sacks of maize, 50 bundles of wrappers and 60 bundles of brocade popularly known as ‘Shadda’ to the victims.
He pledged to move a motion of urgent national importance at the house to find lasting solution to the flood that had been ravaging the council annually. Thanks for reading.
