Penny Wong

Foreign affairs minister Penny Wong and Greens spokesperson David Shoebridge

Foreign affairs minister Penny听Wong told听Senate estimates that she was happy to defer to Washington on whether or not the B52s stationed in Australia would carry nuclear听weapons. Binoy Kampmark reports.

How can we prevail on Labor to admit that realpolitik is obscene as a frame for its Israel relations? How can we force it to see the Israeli colonising project as unacceptable in today鈥檚 world, asks Ken Blackman?

We thought marriage equality was in the bag after Prime Minister Tony Abbott hinted he鈥檇 support a cross-party bill and conscience vote in the Liberal Party room in June. We thought we were closer when opposition leader Bill Shorten put forward a marriage equality bill. Victories overseas 鈥 Ireland and the US 鈥 in May and June propelled momentum here. But both Abbott and Shorten are now backtracking.

On July 25, climate change minister Penny Wong, Australia鈥檚 first openly queer government minister, came out against equal marriage rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) people. 鈥淥n the issue of marriage I think the reality is there is a cultural, religious, historical view around that which we have to respect鈥, she told Channel 10. Wong鈥檚 statement dramatically shows the utter moral bankruptcy of the Labor Party on the issue.