Around 25 activists from the group Community Action Against Homophobia (CAAH) occupied the foyer of the building that houses the headquarters of the Australian Labor Party after party officials refused to accept a petition that had been signed by around 15,000 people.

The snap action was held shortly after midday as a response to the Australian Labor Party dumping marriage equality opponent Julia Gillard as prime minister in favor of same-sex marriage supporter Kevin Rudd.

Protesters chalked a rainbow flag on the footpath outside the building’s doors and attempted to deliver the petition, which had begun while Gillard was prime minister.

As a result, CAAH had crossed out Gillard’s name and replaced it with Rudd’s.

Party officials had offered to allow someone from the group to deliver the petition but only if there were no photographs taken of the handover.

The protesters refused and instead occupied the foyer of the building chanting, ‘Homophobia nip it in the bud, marriage equality now Kevin Rudd.’

‘We came to ask the ALP to commit their MPs to vote for marriage equality,’ CAAH co-convenor Cat Rose said.

‘We were pretty disappointed that the door was shut on us and they would not receive our petitions in good faith. We hope we receive a more enthusiastic response from Rudd – we want him to offer a firm commitment that an ALP government would pass equal marriage rights. One more vote from Kevin Rudd won’t see this pass – we need leadership from him to get his whole party behind this.’

Rose said her group would welcome a vote by the Australian people on the issue if lawmakers refused to act.

‘If the ALP doesn’t have the numbers after the election we welcome the offer to push for a plebiscite [or] referendum and are sure that we have public sentiment on our side to pass this thing,’ Rose said.

However a referendum or plebiscite is not supported by the main campaign for same-sex marriage rights in Australia, Australian Marriage Equality, who have in the past pointed out that a plebiscite does not legally bind lawmakers to change the law, while referendums in Australia can only change the Australian Constitution, not the Marriage Act.

‘A plebiscite on the Marriage Act would not be binding and a referendum would simply clarify the constitutional provision dealing with marriage, not change the Marriage Act itself, so in both cases the nation would end up exactly where it is now, with the issue in the hands of parliament,’ Australian Marriage Equality national director Rodney Croome pointed out in May.

‘With one major party still against marriage equality and with extremist groups keen to use a referendum to propagate fear, a referendum campaign will inevitably polarize the nation and inflame prejudice.

‘Wherever marriage equality has been achieved it has been through people from diverse backgrounds finding common ground, not the ideological and political clashes a referendum campaign would inevitably involve.’

Since being returned to the prime-ministership Kevin Rudd has appointed a Cabinet in which 24 out of 30 members are on the record as supporting same-sex marriage.