Labor to campaign for “yes” in marriage postal survey

Labor to campaign for “yes” in marriage postal survey

OPPOSITION Leader Bill Shorten has delivered a blistering speech announcing Labor’s intention to campaign for the “Yes” response to the government’s planned postal survey on marriage equality.

Shorten also reaffirmed Labor’s intention to legislate for marriage equality within 100 days of being elected, even if the postal survey’s result returns a majority of “no” responses, Buzzfeed has reported.

The Labor leader described the postal survey, now so-named by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, as a “ridiculous waste of time and taxpayer money”, saying

“It will vilify and demean LGBTI Australians and their children,” he said in his speech to the House of Representatives.

“We know this bile will end up in the playground, the schoolyard and the sporting field.”

“The slogans will be shouted at the children of same-sex couples. Young people who are gay will be confronted by it on social media, every day.”

Though the Prime Minister was not present at the time, Shorten damned Malcolm Turnbull for orchestrating the postal survey.

“I hold you responsible, for every hurtful bit of filth that this debate will unleash,” the Opposition Leader declared.

The speech also objected to the fact that the Government will not release any draft legislation in advance of the public vote, adding an extra layer of uncertainty to an increasingly unbalanced process.

“The most powerful act of resistance is to vote ‘yes’ for equality,” Shorten stated.

“Maintain your hope, maintain your enthusiasm. Vote yes and make sure that your friends and relatives and colleagues and classmates and teammates vote yes too.

Shorten ended the speech with a message to LGBTI youth.

“We say to young Australians who are gay, we are voting in this survey, we are participating in this survey because of you.”

Shorten was heckled throughout the speech, with Coalition MPs repeatedly referencing Labor’s failure to legislate for marriage equality in its 6 years in office, including an unsuccessful conscience vote in 2011.

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3 responses to “Labor to campaign for “yes” in marriage postal survey”

  1. +The entire exercise is a farce. That being said it is Absolutely Essential that the GLBTIQ Community and their friends get out there and support this absurdity.
    Why?
    Because, and this is the sneaky, dishonest part about this Non-Binding Plebiscite.
    IF the “NO” brigade headed by Homophobe-in-Chief Tony Abbott along with his Deputy Fred Nile and all the other bigots , wins then the entire issue of Same Gender Marriage gets abandoned because the result IS BINDING on Government.
    If the “Yes” Vote for Equality wins the result is NOT BINDING on Government and Government can simply ignore the result.
    Turnbull wanted this absurd Plebiscite Legislated so that ALL Voters had to take part but thanks to Bill Shorten and, to her everlasting Shame, the ALP’s Penny Wong this was not allowed.
    Now we have an even greater absurdity with this Voluntary Postal Plebiscite.
    If the NO vote wins then the issue will be taken off the table for the foreseeable future.

  2. This is such a divided issue in Australia and everyone should be allowed to have their say. Yes there maybe some hateful speech, but this will be very minimal, and it does not matter, postal survey or plebiscite or not for some to be disrespectful (or most to be respectful) to others on this (or any other issue).