Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott flagged the possibility of putting a decision on same-sex marriage to the Australian public following the next election, after his conservative coalition government blocked its members from voting in favour of gay marriage.
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Mr Abbott, who personally opposes gay marriage and trained as a Roman Catholic priest, has offered a referendum on the issue if his government remains in power after the next election, but the outcome would not be binding.
“But our disposition going into the next election, should we win the next election, will be to put to it the people in the next term of parliament”.
Entsch said notice would be given later today for a cross-party marriage equality bill and it would then be introduced in the House of Representatives next Monday, pending approval from the parliament’s selection committee.
Federal treasurer Joe Hockey stood by Abbott’s earlier comments and reiterated that the joint party room maintained their party’s policy in deciding that marriage was to stay with man and woman. MPs in the opposition centre-left Labor Party will be able to decide for themselves how they vote on same-sex marriage.
Mr Abbott declined to say what form the “people’s vote” would take – in terms of a referendum or a plebiscite and whether the result would be based on a simple majority or a majority in all states and territories.
The numbers against a free vote were bolstered by most of the 21 Nationals MPs and senators.
A poll released last week by the Climate Institute showed 63 per cent of Australians wanted more action on climate change, up six percentage points from 2014.
Openly gay Labor frontbencher Penny Wong warns a plebiscite or referendum would “give a green light to hate speech”.
But Mr Abbott says his party remains resolute in its position.
Australia’s target “undoubtedly puts Australia well towards the back of the pack, really at the bottom end of all the developed economies, and we start from a very high polluting point”, Opposition Spokesman for Environment and Climate Change Mark Butler told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation yesterday.
Abbott vowed a public vote on the issue if his government is re-elected next year.
Abbott said that 60 supported the existing position, while 30 said there should be a free vote, with half a dozen of the latter saying it there was a free vote they would support the current definition of marriage.
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Additionally, the political tactics Abbott used to force this vote through have further destabilised an already chaotic party room.
