This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Australian attitudes to same-sex rights have radically transformed in the past decade, new research shows.



Almost two-thirds of Australians now support equal rights for same-sex couples, a dramatic rise from just 38% in 2005.

The support for same-sex rights was roughly the same among both men – from 32% to 59% – and women – from 43% to 67%.

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The researcher behind the University of Melbourne’s national snapshot, Roger Wilkins, said he had never seen an attitude shift so profound in almost 10 years of conducting the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey (Hilda).

“We measure attitudes on a variety of things, and this really stands out. The degree of change is more than twice as much as we see for any other aspect,” he said. “It certainly does seem that the political leadership is lagging behind community sentiment on this particular issue.”

The research shows the issue of same-sex rights has majority support in Australia and comes at a crucial time in the debate on same-sex marriage.

The prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, is under pressure from some in his own party to allow a free vote on the floor of parliament. Liberal MPs are leaving open the possibility of crossing the floor to vote in support of same-sex marriage, and the issue is likely to be live when parliament resumes next week after its winter break.

Western Australian senator Dean Smith is expected to bring forward a private members bill for consideration once parliament resumes.

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The Coalition’s official position, which it took to the last election, was to put the issue to the people through a plebiscite. The plan was blocked in the Senate, and conservatives, including the immigration minister, Peter Dutton, are now pushing for a postal plebiscite.



A postal plebiscite would be voluntary and non-binding.

The shift in views on same-sex rights has occurred across all demographics, although it was smaller among lower socio-economic groups, Indigenous Australians, and immigrants, according to the research.

Wilkins said: “Men are still lagging behind women, they tend to have more traditional views on these things. but both sexes are increasingly moving towards an attitude of equity in terms of what happens in the home and what happens in the workplace.”



The report attributes the change to public discussion and the increasing recognition of same-sex rights overseas. Wilkins said it also came after people started to “actually stop to think about it”.

“I think in 2005, a lot of people hadn’t given a heck of a lot of thought to it,” he said. “By 2015, I think pretty much everyone had given some thought to it.”

Community attitudes have also shifted towards more progressive views on marriage, parenting, and work.

Australians increasingly agree working mothers can have as good a relationship with children as non-working mothers. Both men and women increasingly agree it is alright for an unmarried couple to live together if they have no intention of marrying.

Fewer people think marriage is a lifetime relationship that should never end, a shift which was greater for women than men. More Australians believe marriage is an outdated institution, and that it is alright for an unhappy couple to get a divorce even if they have children.

Significantly more men and women agree it is alright for a woman to have a child as a single parent, even if she does not want to have a stable relationship with a man.

One response at odds with this general shift towards less traditional views related to the independence of children.

The Hilda survey asked respondents whether they agreed that children should start living independently when they turned about 18 or 20 years old. The results, both for men and women, remained largely unchanged.