Should the Federal Government win support for a same-sex marriage plebiscite, taxpayers will be forking out $15 million to fund advertising for both sides of the debate.
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Labor has threatened to block the bill, with its leader Bill Shorten ramping up his warnings about a plebiscite.
“This idea that there should be public funding of the “no” campaign is something that takes this plebiscite even further away from something that Labor could support”, he said.
Shorten called on prime minister Malcolm Turnbull to let marriage equality be “a truly cooperative achievement”.
Australians will be asked: Do you support a change in the law to allow same-sex couples to marry?
The government will seek to pressure Labor into supporting its omnibus savings bill, some elements of which has divided the opposition along factional lines.
The Turnbull government is also reportedly leaning towards public funding for the yes and no cases of the debate.
Concerns have been raised over how public funding would be spent, as the Australian Christian Lobby has said it will argue against the “consequences” of same-sex marriage, not simply against the change itself. “$7.5 million was what was provided for the constitutional referendum in 1999”, he said.
Marriage equality advocate Rodney Croome, said the Cabinet plan showed the Coalition’s right wing had control of the plebiscite.
The move comes amid reports Labor is demanding a successful plebiscite would automatically lead to marriage equality becoming law, rather than depending on another vote in the Parliament.
Once the Coalition introduces plebiscite-enabling legislation, the nine Greens Senators plan to block the plebiscite, along with the three Senators in Nick Xenophon’s team.
Mr Perrett said many gay and lesbian people he has spoken to fear the hate and bullying that will spill from a potential plebiscite, and would prefer to wait until the next parliament.
Labor MPs told Fairfax Media it was now all but impossible for the opposition to lend its support to the plebiscite, no matter what the question or structure.
“There are people who are disappointed and think it’s not sufficient”, the MP said.
Cabinet has also made a decision to allocate $7.5 million each to the “yes” and “no” campaigns.
Greens MP Adam Bandt and independents Andrew Wilkie and Cathy McGowan were to introduce the bill as parliament reconvened on Monday morning, amid ongoing reports of emerging splits in the Coalition over how the controversial, non-binding plebiscite will be funded.
Mr Shorten said that Australia was lagging behind the rest of the world on the issue of same-sex marriage, citing 21 comparable countries where same-sex marriage has already legalised. “We don’t need to add to the [$160 million] cost”, Mr Greenwich said.
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The story Cabinet weighs up February plebiscite on same-sex marriage but Labor hardens stance against one first appeared on The Sydney Morning Herald.
