The A.C.T has repeatedly defied the Federal Government’s interventions and now the Victorian Labor party is calling on Kevin Rudd to legalise same-sex marriage.

In the lead up to this weekend’s national day of action for marriage equality, the Victorian Labor party has passed a unanimous motion at its state conference calling on the Federal government to legalise same-sex marriage.

“Grass-roots delegates of the Labor Party are clearly in touch with the fact that the majority of Australians support this reform, and now they are demanding Kevin Rudd also heed public opinion”, says Alex Greenwich from Australian Marriage Equality.

“What we are seeing is a growing revolt in Labor ranks to affirm traditional Labor values like equality and oppose the disproportionate influence of the religious right. Interestingly, the grass-roots delegates voted for same-sex marriage at the same time as Kevin Rudd keynoted at the Australian Christian Lobby National Conference.”

Tasmania’s Labor party passed a similar motion in the lead-up to a national day of action earlier this year.

While the Federal government is yet to act on the A.C.T’s third attempt to legalise same-sex marriage, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says overturning the decision is not out of the question.

“We’ll just see what the legal advice says in terms of what can be done here in the ACT,” said Rudd according to News.com, “I don’t know the outcome of that yet.”

A report from a Senate enquiry into same-sex marriage is also set to be released this week.

Wayne Morgan, a senior lecturer at the Australian National University’s College of Law, told Same Same earlier this year that a leadership change may be the only thing that turns the tables.

“We certainly won’t get [same-sex marriage] while Rudd is PM,” says Morgan. “So much has to do with the personalities in power at the time… if the decision was made on rationality, same-sex marriage would be a reality now. Rudd is convinced Labor won the election off swinging ‘Hillsong voters’. He believes that if he did anything positive for the gay community, he would lose that… It also has a lot to do with [Rudd’s] personal social conservatism.”

The National Day of Action for Marriage Equality is this Saturday, November 28.