Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull introduced a bill on Wednesday that would allow all adult Australians to vote on whether same-sex marriage should be legalized.
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But to set up the plebiscite, the Government needs the Opposition to support the enabling legislation in the Senate.
Labor opposes the plebiscite and does not want taxpayers’ money spent on the campaigns.
“We took a plebiscite to the people”, she continued.
In a fiery performance, the Prime Minister objected to critics’ accusations about subsidising bigotry.
Malcolm Turnbull says the plebiscite is the best option to resolve a complex issue.
This week we finally got the key details on the plebiscite. While Ireland did successfully hold a public vote in which marriage equality won the day, such an outcome is not guaranteed.
It was revealed earlier this week that $15million of public funds could be used to pay for yes and no campaigns leading up to the plebiscite.
Why Are Marriage Equality Campaigners Trying To Block The Plebiscite?
“Undercutting parliament by taking away its ability to decide on marriage equality would set a awful precedent for the next big change we’re faced with, whether it’s an economic choice or a social one”. The exception is Ireland, where a referendum was held to change the constitution. “It is an issue of conscience for millions of Australians”, he said.
No matter what’s next, we will need to be ready to fight. The proposed plebiscite isn’t about changing the constitution either, it’s basically just a method of testing what proportion of the country supports marriage equality.
He asked the panel: “Given the majority of parliamentarians and Australians now support marriage equality, is a $160 million plebiscite necessary and what impact do you think the debate will have on the emotional well-being of gays and lesbians like me?”
“It is time for the parliament to deliver marriage equality”. There are now two identical marriage equality bills before the parliament.
Bill Shorten during Question Time this week.
“No one likes the legal standing of their relationship up for public debate, let alone a vote”, Wilson wrote.
You can view the question, response, and further debate on the plebiscite below.
It comes after a broad coalition of LGBTI groups, including Australian Marriage Equality (AME) and Australians For Equality (A4E), released a joint statement on Thursday rejecting the plebiscite proposal. The only alternative, at this stage, is waiting for Labor to win the 2019 federal election and implement marriage equality then.
But Shorten has not yet ruled out supporting the plebiscite to avoid a stalemate in Parliament over gay marriage that could last until the next election in three years. The only other option is Turnbull risking his leadership by ignoring the conservatives in his party and allowing a free vote.
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Now that Labor has reportedly made a decision to block the plebiscite, we’re on the latter path. But, given recent history, that doesn’t seem likely.
