I HATE to be in agreement with some of the conservative commentators who write for this paper, but on the issue of gay marriage, I am in agreement with them.

I am personally opposed to gay marriage and therefore I have decided that I am going to stay in my heterosexual marriage.

And that's my advice to all those people who are up in arms about the issue. If you don't like gay marriage: don't marry a gay person.

Recently, parliament voted in favour of asking the Australian public their views on gay marriage.

And, according to opinion polls, most of us either support gay marriage, or don't care either way. I don't believe the Government should have the right to discrimination against someone based on who they love. But it's not an issue that keeps me up at nights - not like workplace safety does.

I don't see how allowing gay people to get married affects anyone but them. And I don't get the feeling that anybody else much minds either - even the most hardened miners don't raise an eyebrow when I ask them what they think. In fact, they're often the ones who signal their lack of concern in the most Australian way possible - by telling excellent jokes.

My favourite is: "Why shouldn't gay people get married and be as miserable as the rest of us?"

I agree with many opponents of gay marriage that there are plenty of more pressing issues affecting Australians, such as the cost of living, infrastructure shortages, education and children living in poverty.

But the fix for the gay marriage issue is simple. All Government has to do is amend the Marriage Act - take out six words - and we'll have joined the other 12 countries on four continents that have marriage equality.

No need to spend any money, no changes to the budget, no massive legislative process. It can be done quickly, simply and doesn't mean the business or agenda of the Government will be distracted from the primary issues concerning Australians, as some have claimed.

Finance Minister Penny Wong recently indicated that she would be working towards changing ALP policy on gay marriage at National Conference next year. Good on her. She is right, not because I think it's the most burning issue around, but because I believe the Labor Party should act to end all forms of discrimination.

I recently spoke at a forum where I was asked why I was so keen on same-sex marriages. I answered, a bit cheekily, that I was in fact much keener on heterosexual marriages, and that's why I'm in one. But more seriously, I said that I couldn't see why Labor wouldn't take a progressive line on the issue.

Because the Labor Party is not Liberal-Lite - not a watered down version of the conservative party, despite what some past leaders have tried to pretend. They are

the progressive political party in this country.

Labor has always had a very proud tradition of eliminating discrimination on the grounds of sexuality. Don Dunstan, the former South Australian premier, was a trailblazer in this regard. He decriminalised homosexuality, and his government paved the way for others to follow suit, which they duly did. Neville Wran, another great Labor premier, then undertook homosexual law reform, and on it went.

In fact, the last state to decriminalise homosexuality was Tasmania, in 1997, when the High Court forced the Liberal government to remove its anti-sodomy clauses.

So it has almost always been Labor to address and overturn discrimination in Australia. Were it not for legendary Labor leaders like Dunstan, we certainly wouldn't be having this debate now.

This is not an issue that should dominate Labor's agenda, but it is a matter of principle and leadership to stand up for what is right and ensuring all Australians get a fair go. It has always been Labor to lead on these issues. And it will always be Labor.

Because only Labor has consistently shown the kind of leadership necessary to wipe out lawful discrimination.

We saw this in the federal parliament when the Coalition voted against asking their constituents what they thought about gay marriage.

Which is quite incredible, really. The Coalition didn't even want to ask their own constituents what they thought about one of the most topical issues in the country.

But I feel confident that this very minor change - the whiting-out of six words - will happen, and happen fairly soon. History is on the side of marriage equality, and trying to stop it will be like trying to hold back the tide.

And although it's only a little thing for many of us, for those who will finally be allowed to stand up in front of their family and friends and marry the person they love, it won't be just a small thing.

For some people, it may be everything. And anyway, it's not like gay marriage is going to be compulsory. If you don't like it, nobody is going to make you do it.

Paul Howes is the national secretary of the Australian Workers' Union