Conchita Wurst isn't pleased about Australia's lack of same-sex marriage

In the lead-up to Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras this Saturday, 2014 Eurovision winner Conchita Wurst has taken aim at Australia's issues with LGBT rights.

Wurst, from Austria, has hit out at the inability for same-sex couples to be legally married in Australia, despite the country's image as a free-loving, relaxed paradise. 

"You know, we think everybody is very liberal, very open-minded, the whole city [is] celebrating Mardi Gras," Wurst told the Sydney Morning Herald. "And then I came here two years ago and they told me that gay marriage is just not happening.

"I could not believe it. How can you combine those two worlds?"

Wurst, arguably a modern gay icon, is set to perform at the Sydney Opera House on Thursday in her show Conchita: From Vienna With Love as part of Mardi Gras celebrations this year. The show will also feature local icons such as Courtney Act, Trevor Ashley, Paul Capsis and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. 

While same-sex marriage has been a source of fierce public debate for years in Australia, Wurst has also found herself at the centre of intense scrutiny following her Eurovision win. Notably, her beard was targeted by some homophobic Russians, who said they were outraged by her appearance.

"I don't understand why people spend so much time thinking about me if they don't like what I do," Wurst told the Sydney Morning Herald. "I couldn't care less about things I don't like."

The federal opposition Labor Party will attempt to force a vote on legalising same-sex marriage in parliament this week, according to ABC News. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is set on a plebiscite on the matter, opening the issue to a public vote, which is expected to cost A$158.4 million (US$113.1 million.)

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