It’s also worth remembering that a plebiscite isn’t legally binding in the way a referendum is-there is no guarantee that the government will introduce a same sex marriage bill in the event of a successful “yes” vote.
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On Friday, 3AW broadcaster Neil Mitchell pressed the Prime Minister on whether this applied to the plebiscite and the company tax cuts, policies the government has previously insisted would not change.
Conservative backbencher Senator Eric Abetz declared on Sunday that the Prime Minister had promised public funding for the respective campaigns and the plebiscite vote would not be “proper” if money was withheld. Australians have been talking about marriage equality seriously since the early 2000s and we already have the forums for people to express their views on both sides, including the media and the parliament itself.
Labor Party leader Bill Shorten, an outspoken supporter of marriage equality, has said he can not in good conscience support the plebiscite due to the harmful funding.
But in a speech that dwelled on the importance of respect, Mr Turnbull reserved his energy for attacking Labor over its refusal to back the plebiscite, which is virtually certain to be blocked in the Senate.
Conservative columnist Andrew Bolt fumed: “If one Christian opponent of same-sex marriage commits suicide over Bill Shorten’s destruction of traditional marriage that will be one too many”.
Turnbull went to July 2 elections promising every Australian could have their say on gay marriage via a plebiscite.
But Brandis said he would introduce legislation to “give effect to the will of the people” to amend the Marriage Act if the “yes” vote wins, adding that he had “no doubt” parliament would respect the wishes of the people.
“I am concerned the consultation we had been led to believe would occur has not occurred, ” he said.
Labor shadow treasurer Chris Bowen said prime minister Malcolm Turnbull was being held hostage by the right wing of his Liberal Party.
Labor, the Greens, and the Liberal-Democrats all have bills to present to Parliament to legalize same sex marriage via a parliamentary vote.
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While its no secret that a huge amount of Australians would support marriage equality for LGBTQIA citizens, it remains to be seen how the parliamentary members in the House of Reps tee up. They caution that public debate on same-sex marriage would legitimize discriminatory views, giving bigots a wider platform for spreading homophobia.
“For our part, we put our faith in the Australian people”, the Prime Minister said.
Malcolm Turnbull says the plebiscite is the best option to resolve a complex issue.
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“Mr. Shorten should stop blocking this democratic process for which we have a clear mandate from the public”, Turnbull told reporters.
