Same-sex marriage vote: the front pages

It was an historic moment in Australia’s history – a nation voting overwhelmingly to change the marriage act to allow same-sex marriage. This is how that moment was captured at home and around the world.

The Sydney Morning Herald

https://twitter.com/smh/status/930725867248070656

Fairfax Media's Sydney Morning Herald has marked the survey – which saw 12.69 million eligible voters respond – with a simple front page utilising the iconic rainbow flag with the simple headline: "YES".

Set against a plain, white background it is clean and sharp.

Against the bottom of the front page are the three big angles from the day: the politics, the divided city (referencing Sydney's different responses) and the emotion.

The Daily Telegraph

For Sydney-siders the other paper is The Daily Telegraph owned by News Corp.

Its front page was everything the SMH's was not.

Alongside the headline, "Now we can all share the joy" runs a giant image of Married With Children's misogynistic husband Al Bundy – the sarcasm is pretty clear.

The tabloid's front page does attempt to reflect the views of The Daily Telegraph's western Sydney audience  where 12 of the 17 federal electorates voted no – but the general opinion on social media is that it misses the mark badly.

Fairfax Media investigative journalist Kate McClymont slammed the front page on Twitter: "Beyond bad. These two pages of @dailytelegraph beggar belief. Celebrate sport but vilify a national milestone supporting #samesexmarriage. The Tele is better than this."

The Telegraph's back page was dedicated to the Socceroo's win over Honduras.

The Australian

https://twitter.com/australian/status/930885476558413824

News Corp's national broadsheet The Australian delivered a front page that captures the joy of the majority of Australian's yesterday.

Unlike the SMH's simple cover, The Australian uses its front page to deliver as much content around the vote as it can fit on the page – all under the bold headline "Nation says Yes".

In a daring break from tradition for the national broadsheet it even includes a rainbow graphic.

The Age

Fairfax Media's Melbourne masthead The Age also captured the joy of the nation with the same headline as sister paper the SMH – "YES" – set against a rainbow and a photo of Melbourne pro-same sex marriage campaigners.

While it is quite different to the SMH's simple cover, it too is clean and simple.

The Herald Sun

https://twitter.com/damonheraldsun/status/930773233531420673

News Corp's Victorian masthead dedicated the majority of its front page to the result – using a dramatic photograph of the crowds with the headline 'We Do!"

The Herald Sun also chose to celebrate that other great event yesterday the Socceroo's win over Honduras.

The Courier Mail

https://twitter.com/vidiva/status/930892370555502592

News Corp's Queensland metro title The Courier Mail used the simple headline "YES! Australia" emblazoned across both an image of the Socceroos celebrating their win over Honduras and a photo of jubilant 'yes' campaigners. (For the pro-same sex marriage Socceroos fan it was truly a great day.)

The Advertiser

https://twitter.com/GregBarila/status/930907907427667968

News Corp's Adelaide masthead The Advertiser went with the headline 'Tears of Joy' alongside a photo of a clearly emotional Penny Wong.

The West Australian

https://twitter.com/westaustralian/status/930776665944342528

Seven West Media's The West Australian has used the iconic rainbow for a bright an d fun front page with the big headline 'Overwhelmingly YES!'.

It features a joyful photo of 'yes' campaigners with a cheeky stamp "And we won the soccer!".

The Mercury

https://twitter.com/themercurycomau/status/930877125606776832

News Corp's Tasmanian paper The Mercury had a very simple, but emotional front page which acknowledges the island state's dark past on LGBTIQ rights.

"We were shamefully late to the party. But we've change. We've apologised. And now we've voted YES" reads the front page.

It references Tasmania's harsh penalties for homosexual activity that existed until 1997. It was the last Australian jurisdiction to decriminalise homosexuality.

NT News

https://twitter.com/TheNTNews/status/930723489341784064

Normally the paper you can rely on for a pun-tastic headline and an image of a croc, The NT Times has delivered a clean rainbow souvenir edition front page set against a simple white background.

The Australian Financial Review

Fairfax Media's national business title used an emotional photo of Qantas CEO Alan Joyce below the headline "Marriage equality within weeks". Today's front page hasn't strayed from what the paper usually delivers.

International reaction and the cartoonists

While the news was big on the domestic front, overseas it also garnered attention, with even New York's Empire State Building celebrating the vote by going rainbow.

Ellen DeGeneres celebrated the postal result with a tweet: "I'm proud of you Australia".

Fairfax Media political cartoonist David Pope's summation of the result focused on what comes next.

Matt Davidson focused on the celebrations for The Age, drawing on Australia's coat of arms and the iconic rainbow.