This Australian ad calling for a same-sex marriage vote in parliament has broken the law
An Australian advert calling on the parliament to hold a vote on same-sex marriage broke the law, authorities have said.
The ad, created by The Equality Campaign, features a surgeon, soldier, firefighter, lifeguard and nurse, all LGBT and all highlighting the sacrifices they make for their fellow citizens.
“We can leap to your rescue. We can hold a life in our hands. We can put our lives on the line. We can stand the heat. We can nurse you back to health,” the people in the ad tell viewers.
“So why can’t we get married? We do our jobs. It’s about time politicians did theirs,” they conclude.
Same-sex marriage is illegal in Australia, but the current government has pledged to hold a referendum at some point, and the issue is gaining traction.
The 30-second ad by The Equality Campaign was shown during Sky News’ show The Bolt Report even though it did not have the required authorisation, BuzzFeed has reported.
Political ads must include the name of the person who authorises it, their home or office location and the name of every person who speaks in the ad, as per the Broadcasting Services Act.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority investigated the matter after someone submitted a complaint, and found Foxtel – which airs Sky News – had breached the act.
In response, Foxtel pledged that it had put “appropriate controls” in place to stop such a breach happening again.
Earlier this month, the ACMA also decided that an anti-abortion advert was also in breach of the act, as the topic constituted a “political matter”.
Also this month, Coopers, the largest independent brewer in Australia, faced a boycott after airing an ad about same-sex marriage made for religious group the Bible Society.
Following the backlash, Coopers axed commemorative can it made for the Bible Society and came out in favour of marriage equality.
You can watch the full advert here:
