Hockey against same-sex marriage
Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey has announced he will vote against marriage equality even if the Coalition grants its members a free vote on the issue.
Speaking to the press on Wednesday, Hockey said that while the issue of same-sex marriage was “very, very difficult”, it was his personal belief that marriage is between a man and a woman.
“I can’t change my principles and what I believe in, and that’s the way it is. I know how heart-wrenching it is for some people to hear that. But I respect the view of others, and I respect that they want to express a view,” Hockey said.
Hockey said he expected the Coalition party room would revisit its position on the issue after the federal election in September.
“We’ll wait and see what the next Parliament looks like, whether there will be another opportunity to deal with this.”
Hockey’s electorate of North Sydney contains the second-largest LGBTI community in Sydney.
