Archbishop of Sydney says Yes vote didn't win :s

I've seen this argument put forward online too, in reply to a YouTube video. It makes absolutely no sense and shows a severe lack of understanding of non-compulsory voting. Australia is about the only country I know where you get fined if you don't vote. Across the Tasman in New Zealand it's non-compulsory. 

With non-compulsory voting actual turnout can also be an issue. But if you don't bother voting then you have no right to complain about the result. 

It’s good enough for the people and good enough for the government — but that’s not good enough for the Catholic church. 


While the Yes vote for gay marriage was a convincing 61.6 per cent, the country’s most influential Catholic cleric Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher reckons that is not a majority. Because about 20 per cent of eligible Australians “abstained altogether”, Bishop Fisher claims actual support for same-sex marriage is really only about 49 per cent. 


But the Archbishop’s comments were discounted by marriage equality campaigners, who said under his logic, only 30.5 per cent of Australians voted No. “It is disappointing that Bishop Fisher is the only No case leader ungraciously refusing to accept the result,” Equality Campaign spokesman Clint McGilvray said. JoeMyGod