The Gospel offers forgiveness for the past, new life for the present, and hope for the future.

The virtue of the civil partnerships scheme lay in the attempt to treat the needs of gay and lesbian couples as what they are, not to bundle them into some other category.

If the rights of civil partners are met differently in law to those of married couples, there is no discrimination in law, and if civil partnerships are seen as somehow 'second class' that is a social attitude which will change and cannot, in any case, be turned around by redefining the law of marriage.

There is a difference between civil partnerships and marriage. That difference does not mean one is better than another.

Without a way to make regular, positive deposits in social relationships that bridge political lines, every civic debate is a withdrawal without social reserves, leaving people perpetually overdrawn.

Establishing the rights for gay people to be married would cost the Australian government nothing financially and would gain for you worldwide respect from people like us and, of course, would change lives enormously - the lives of gay people and of their friends and of their families and therefore of Australia as a whole.

I mean, I've always said I have an amazing team and network of friends and people that I work with that, you know, inspire me and enable me to do what I do.

If we are to judge of love by its consequences, it more nearly resembles hatred than friendship.