The 'cost' of living in sin

Irregular Asian Correspondent contributor Melbourne Lefty at his personal blog notes that Australia's gay marriage ban is not only bigoted, it "costs Australia over $700 million". The $700 million plus figure is arrived at by multiplying the number of gay couples who would likely marry if the gay marriage ban was lifted times the average $28,000 cost of a marriage. This figure is totally bogus in that unless that "unspent" money is being sent overseas or is stashed in mattresses it's still in the Australian economy even though it isn't being spent on marriage related expenses. Surely gay couples aspire to own the same goodies as straight couples and will spend money not spent on marriage on big screen TVs, leather lounge suites and the like.

But lets assume Lefty's correct that marriages unrealised "cost Australia". There would likely be at least 500,000 Australian couples living in de facto relationships, where marriage vows have not been ceremoniously formalised. A half million multiplied by an average $28,000 marriage expense yields a $14 billion cost to Australia. And unless he's recently married without making it public Lefty continues to live in a de facto relationship, to the cost of the economy. The guy obviously has no intention of sharing his wealth.

It is interesting, however, that a staunch leftist demands that gays be allowed to marry but on the other hand would argue that marriage is an outdated institution and has himself decided not to commit formally. The lefty universe is indeed a place of contradictions.

Now just so that no one can accuse me of being an anti-gay bigot, I'm all for homosexuals, both males and females, having the right to enter into relationships with the same legal status as marriage but object to such relationships being called marriage: marriage is a contractual relationship between a man and a woman. Truth be known, I reckon this gay marriage kerfuffle is really about redefining the definition of marriage.