Australian gay rights groups welcome same-sex marriage hurdle

Plans to hold a national vote in Australia on legalising same-sex marriage were blocked by the opposition on Tuesday.

But for many supporters of same-sex marriage, this was a cause for celebration.
While they want the law to change, they argued holding a non-binding plebiscite would be expensive, and risked unleashing homophobic rhetoric.

The government has accused the opposition of playing political games.
The Senate will still vote on whether to hold the plebiscite, but after the opposition Labor said they would not back it, it is doomed fail, and the issue is unlikely to be unresolved in this term of parliament.