“Leave the party” comments rebuked

“Leave the party” comments rebuked

A senior Labor backbencher has been rebuked by one of his own branch presidents over comments that people within the Labor Party who supported same-sex marriage should go and join the Greens.

Reid MP John Murphy made the comments to national news media while calling for the issue of same-sex marriage to be put to a referendum at the next election because he believed it would lose.

”People are questioning why we are going down this path – there are so many important things the Labor Party has to be dealing with – they do not include same sex marriage.,” Murphy said.

However Gina Wilson, who is the president of an ALP branch in Reid, said she was “appalled” to hear the comments from a man she had campaigned on behalf of.

“It was incredibly discouraging to hear that my local member and federal representative would advise me to join the Greens rather than rely on him in seek equal rights,” Wilson said.

Murphy called the upcoming opportunity for MPs to report back on their consultations with voters on the issue “insulting” as he consulted with constituents all the time.

However Wilson disputed this, saying that she knew beyond a doubt that Murphy had sought neither the views of voters or ALP members in Reid, which includes the inner west suburbs of Concord, Strathfield, Burwood, Five Dock, Abbotsford and Drummoyne as well as Lidcombe and Auburn.

“There are many GLBTI people in the electorate of Reid and I know that he hasn’t broadly canvassed the electorate to find out what support there is or isn’t,” Wilson said.

“There has been absolutely no canvassing of ALP members in Reid on this. This is John Murphy’s off the cuff personal opinion and its devastating and insulting.”

Wilson said she was shocked to find out Murphy’s true views on the issue.

“I’ve had dinner with John Murphy,” Wilson said, “I’ve been to functions with him.”

“I thought that he was a supporter of disadvantaged minorities. I thought he understood. I am absolutely shocked and devastated to find out what his real opinions are – that he’d rather that I wasn’t even in the party.”

Greens Senator Hanson-Young said a referendum on the issue would be a waste of taxpayers money when all recent opinion polls had shown majority support on the issue.

“There is no constitutional change required to amend the Marriage Act, merely a legislative change, so an enormously expensive and cumbersome referendum isn’t needed,” Hanson-Young said.

“The community can have its voice heard in the Parliament if MPs and Senators are given a free vote and the freedom to vote for what their community wants, not their party bosses.”

“The Greens have long advocated MPs and senators having a conscience vote on this vital matter of allowing consenting adults to marry whomever they love, and again call on the leaders of the ALP and Coalition to allow it.”

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6 responses to ““Leave the party” comments rebuked”

  1. Perhaps instead of this bloke telling all the State branches to join the Greens, except for NSW, John Murphy might well consider Murphys law, and join the Klu Klux Klan where he can talk about God and hate all he wants.

  2. Comments: (My email to J.Murphy) As an ALP member and a gay man I read your views on gay marriage with a mixture of sadness and deep frustration.

    I joined the ALP in 1974 put simply because it was the party that I believed best represented the working people of Australia. In 1974 the ALP was still a progressive party with progressive politics. I was proud when I joined the party because the ALP opposed the sickening discrimination in South Africa by the then white neo-facist minority.

    Today I unlike a religious minority within the ALP still oppose discrimination. I oppose discrimination where ever it rears its ugly head that is why I am opposing discrimination you are advocating in your attacks on GLTB people.

    You advocate a discrimination that argues that the deep love my partner and I share is somehow less than the love that I hope you share with your wife, you are wrong it isn’t it our love is no different to your love or the love that any two adults can share each other.

    I would have expected that as a senior member of our party you would hold the view that discrimination is always wrong? Clearly you do not hence my sadness. Almost fort years on I now find the moral sickness that is discrimination alive and well and be advocated within the party.

    Believe me when I say I won’t be joining the Greens but also believe me when I say that I will be working hard to see this appalling discrimination which you publicly support ended.

    If Catholic Spain can allow us to marry then so can Australia, love like justice should be blind.

    I ask you to follow and send this man as many emails as we can (and that’s a hell of a lot) let’s swamp him with facts, let’s drown his discrimination in gay love which should really piss him off big time.

  3. I am disgusted that this Homophobe represents the average, decent, fair minded aussies of this electorate of Reid. I am appalled that I voted with my primary vote and gave it to this person. Never again. The bile and bigotry that this man expouses as if his electorate were mindless drones is over and I as an Aussie who thinks we all are equal and all should have equal rights in this nation challenge the right dis honorable john Murphy to state in the labour caucus that he actually did consult with his electorate and lie to everyone at once. He does NOT represent me or the other + or – 10% of Reid that can and will fight him at the next election. It won’t take much to lose your “use to be” safe labour seat of Reid mr Murphy. Stand up and be a man and support the majority of Australians and be the Secular politician you are supposed to be, without religious, homophobic, unfactual and self biased arrogance. Besides I thought you represented the values of the labour party or is it just self interest?

  4. Might I add that Mrs. Markus has already been asked in many forums to show evidence of any consultation she’s undertaken in the seat of Macquarie, and she’s refused. I have no doubt she will take her own views to Parliament in August. It only remains to be seen if she pretends to have consulted widely.

  5. I’m not holding my breath either as my local member, Liberal Louis Markus, has a history with the Hillsong happy clappers.

  6. Those MPs who truly represwent their electorates will consult with their electorates on the issue of same-sex marriage. MPs such as Tanya Plibersek (Labor) and Malcolm Turnbull (Liberal) have done so, as have many others.

    However, those MPs who are personnaly against same-sex marriage are unlikely to consult, and most likely present their own view as that of their electorate – Murphy being one such case.

    When the MPs address the Parliament they should be made to demonstrate how they consulted with their electorate, and ideally present evidence to that end.

    MPs who failed to actually consult should be held in contempt of Parliament, for they have failed to abide by a Parliamentary decision.

    But I won’t hold my breath.