Liberal MP Tim Wilson has proposed to his long-term partner Ryan Bolger in the House of Representatives, shortly after the same-sex marriage bill was introduced to the Lower House.
The proposal is believed to be the first of its kind in the Lower House of Parliament and was greeted with applause from all sides of politics and the public gallery.
Mr Wilson has been engaged to the school teacher for nine years and reaffirmed his proposal during a speech on the issue.
Mr Bolger was present in the chamber for the proposal and responded with a clear “yes”.
“In my first speech I defined our bond by the ring that sits on both of our left hands,” Mr Wilson said.
“They are the answer to the question we cannot ask.
“So there’s only one thing left to do; Ryan Patrick Bolger, will you marry me?”
Mr Wilson became emotional when paying tribute to Mr Bolger, thanking him for his trust and for standing beside him during his political career.
“This debate has been the soundtrack to our relationship,” Mr Wilson said.
“We both know this issue isn’t the reason we got involved in politics — give us tax reform any day!”
Mr Wilson spoke about the varying reactions he had from friends when he first announced his relationship with Mr Bolger years ago.
“Always with an eye to the future, the Member for Kooyong [Josh Frydenberg] and his wife Amy sent flowers, but when we told others, many simply didn’t know how to react,” he said.
He said some people did not reply to his text messages while some tried to change the conversation; another person asked him “why bother?”.
“For a while, Ryan kept pushing for an engagement party but the truth was I kept delaying it, perhaps wrongly, because the strong message I took from so many people’s silence was no-one would come,” he said.
Deputy speaker Rob Mitchell congratulated the couple amid applause and made sure there was no doubt about Mr Bolger’s reply.
“We should let Hansard note to record that was a ‘yes’, a resounding ‘yes’,” he said.

source: acb.net.au