NXT leader Nick Xenophon said it should be up to the MPs to take on the responsibility as it was what they were voted in to do.
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The future of a plebiscite on same-sex marriage lies with Labor, after crossbench senators joined with the Greens in opposing it.
By then, its members will be bound to vote for same-sex marriage under a rule change, which will make it harder to convince the Coalition to have a conscience vote.
The only apparent way to progress now on marriage equality in Australia appears to be if opposition leader Bill Shorten and the Labor party agree to back a plebiscite, which they have been persistently arguing against on the grounds that it would subject gay and lesbian Australians to vilification.
The Greens have already confirmed they will also vote against the bill, and the Nick Xenophon Team (NXT) announcement ensures the Government can not secure enough crossbench support.
There is certainly nothing binary about the same-sex marriage options available to the 45th Parliament and nothing binary, about Labor’s thinking on the plebiscite.
“If it comes to it, we will be able to say we pushed as hard as we could for a parliamentary vote but were thwarted by the Government”, one has told the ABC.
But Mr Turnbull promised his party, the Nationals and the voters to hold a plebiscite if re-elected and if he reneged, his leadership would be in danger.
Senator Leyonhjelm, who introduced his own freedom to marry bill to the Senate in 2014, says under current circumstances the plebiscite is the quickest path to same-sex marriage.
“It could be the republic all over again”, he said of the the 1999 referendum push which failed for similar reasons.
A February plebiscite on the issue would break Turnbull’s election promise that the Australian people would vote on the issue in 2016, Xinhua news agency reported.
Government backbencher Warren Entsch, a long-time advocate for same-sex marriage, says if the plebiscite bill is blocked that should be the end of the matter until the next election.
He tweeted Senator Wong was a “hypocrite” and said “some of us had guts to stand tall and proud”.
The South Australian senator has confirmed he and his colleagues will vote against a plebiscite-enabling bill because they believe the issue should be decided by a free vote in parliament. He said that even if a plebiscite goes ahead and is passed by the Australian public, Parliament has the power to overrule the decision.
“It’s not what I’d call “having your cake and eating it too”, but it probably helps all those who hope to be cutting theirs”, the MP added, referring to the thousands of same-sex couples expected to Wednesday if the Marriage Act is changed to allow it. For their sake, our job now should be to get it passed.
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