Showing their true colours…

Finally, after all the talk and deliberation, the people get to have their say on marriage equality in Australia.

This week, ballot papers were sent out to mailboxes across the country, and on them was a simple question: “Should the law be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry?”

But with all this time to mull over our decision (the final deadline to return forms is November 7), organisations big and small are doing all they can to secure that ‘yes’ vote.

Global brands such as Coca-Cola are now weighing in on the issue, with the soft-drink giant re-designing its cans to say ‘love’ instead of the traditional ‘Coca-Cola’ branding. The company has also revamped its iconic Kings Cross billboard to state, “We say yes to love”.  The billboard is accompanied by a rainbow-painted Coke bottle positioned in front of a collage of ‘yes’ graphics. And to top it all off, at night, the Coca-Cola branding changes to emit rainbow coloured lights.

Australian businesses are also out there making a difference, most notably the nation’s biggest airline, Qantas, whose CEO, Alan Joyce, has just announced he will be donating $1 million to the ‘yes’ campaign.

But even local enterprises, such as Perth-based wedding planners WedStyle, are finding ways to show their support. Just this week, WedStyle put up a banner on the side of their building proudly declaring their support for same-sex marriage.

With some polls showing up to 70% support for marriage equality, this level of corporate backing can only be a good thing. But on an issue this divisive, nothing can be taken for granted.

Businesses have taken action on this issue; now it’s time for us to do the same.  Chris Prindiville