Australian lawmakers uphold ban on gay marriage

SYDNEY (AP) - Australian lawmakers overwhelmingly rejected a bill on Wednesday that would have legalised gay marriage, and similar legislation looked unlikely to pass despite public support for same-sex marriage.

The House of Representatives voted 98-42 against the legislation, the first of four bills introduced to Parliament that aim to lift the country's ban on same-sex marriage.

A separate bill was also being debated in the Senate on Wednesday.

Polls show that most Australians support gay marriage, but the Liberal Party-led conservative opposition coalition and many in the ruling center-left Labor Party are against it.