Maverick Australian independent MP Bob Katter has nominated a pro-marriage equality candidate in a surprise move just weeks after having to dump two candidates for his new Katter’s Australia Party after they made extreme homophobic statements.

Katter is personally opposed to same-sex marriage and has called LGBT rights a non-issue in Australia compared to the needs of farmers and people in rural areas but still nominated 29 year old theater director Steven Bailey to run for the Australian Senate in the Australian Capital Territory.

Despite losing his frontbench position when he made comments in the Australian Senate last month suggesting gay marriage could lead to bestiality, Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi has not apologized or retracted his words.

In an interview with Adelaide’s The Advertiser published today Bernardi stood-by his views saying the reaction his comments was ‘hysteria’.

A vote on a bill that would have legalized marriage between same-sex partners was defeated in the Australian Senate this afternoon.

The ‘ayes’ were larger in majority than the House of Representatives vote on a similar bill yesterday, but still lost 26 to 41 ‘noes’. At yesterday’s vote 98 were against and 42 were for the legislation.

Finance Minister Penny Wong, who fully supports same-sex marriage, said in a statement:

The leader of the Australian Greens accused the ruling Labor party of ‘back room manipulation’ over the gay marriage parliamentary debate.

A debate on the Marriage Amendment Bill started in the Australian Senate this morning, where leader of the Australian Greens Christine Milne said the Labor party are trying ‘to get this off the agenda before the general election’.

A short debate on marriage equality in the Australian Senate has been held but has failed to shed light on the prospects if a vote is held on the issue, with only four senators speaking during the allotted time.

First to speak was the bill’s author, Greens party Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, who told the parliament that the bill had been amended to further address the concerns of religious opponents who feared that they would be made to solemnize marriages that weren’t in accordance with their faith.

Debate on a marriage equality bill in the Australian Senate is expected to begin as soon as Thursday, after the bill’s author, Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young announced she would use private member’s time to begin the debate.

A report published today by a cross-party panel of senators has given the strongest official endorsement yet into legalizing gay marriage in Australia.

The legal and constitutional affairs legislation committee report has four recommendations, the fourth of which clearly endorses a change in the law to allow gay people to marry. It reads:

With just a week to go before the Australian senate closes its public inquiry into gay marriage, campaigners are calling on supporters to make their voices heard.

A YouTube video featuring Alex Greenwich from the Australian Marriage Equality group, Sen Raj from the New South Wales Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby and PFLAG's Shelley Argent, answers some of the questions behind the inquiry and encourages viewers to make a submission.