‘Turnbull has sold out LGBTI Australians’: Plibersek

‘Turnbull has sold out LGBTI Australians’: Plibersek

PRIME Minister Malcolm Turnbull has sold out LGBTI Australians, according to deputy opposition leader Tanya Plibersek.

She took the swipe at Mr Turnbull while introducing Labor’s second bill for marriage equality in parliament this morning.

During her speech, Ms Plibersek said seven out of ten Australians supported amending the Marriage Act to recognise same-sex couples.

“For kids who’ve got two mums or two dads, to hear for months, or possibly even years, that there is something not right about their families, I just think is unforgiveable and unacceptable,” she said.

“We don’t need a plebiscite. The Parliament can, and should, get marriage equality done.”

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Ms Plibersek told Parliament she had waited more than a year for cross-party support for her Marriage Equality Bill, because she believed the issue should be bipartisan.

“When, last year, it became apparent that waiting was in vain – Labor’s leader, Bill Shorten, introduced a private members bill to the same effect and I seconded it,” she said.

“The introduction of that bill finally did produce some action from the other side. When we heard that Coalition MPs didn’t feel that they could support a bill introduced by the Leader of the Opposition, we withdrew our bill to allow another to be put forward sponsored by backbenchers from all parties.

“Because neither the Leader of the Opposition nor I cared whose name was on the bill: only that it would pass. And for a while, with support from all sides of politics, it looked like it just might.”

Ms Plibersek went on to accuse former Prime Minister Tony Abbott of ambushing members of his party to withdraw their support for a free vote on marriage equality.

“Instead he proposed a national plebiscite – expensive, divisive, and meaningless – but a way of delaying equality for a bit longer,” she said.

“Members of his own party spoke publicly against this ‘captain’s call’. Including the Member for Wentworth (Malcolm Turnbull).”

She said when Turnbull became Prime Minister, many hoped things would change and “that we might be able to finally leave behind discrimination against people because of who they love”.

“But this Prime Minister has been an enormous disappointment,” Ms Plibersek said.

“He sold out LGBTI Australians – traded away their right to equality – to become Prime Minister. He signed up to the plebiscite delaying tactic to secure the support of the Liberal Party’s right wing”.

Ms Plibersek said the Labor Party was re-introducing a bill for marriage equality as LGBTI Australians have waited too long to marry their partners.

“Australians of all ages who’ve been told that their love isn’t equal, that their family isn’t real, that their relationship is bad for their children or somehow bad for society, have waited for too long,” she said.

Labor’s Deputy Leader said with the impending budget and parliament being dissolved for a double-dissolution election, it was unlikely the Marriage Equality Bill would be voted on this week.

“But our push for equality is not going away. Think of this bill as a marker – more than that, think of it as a promise,” Ms Plibersek said.

“A promise that Labor will introduce legislation for marriage equality in the first 100 days of a Shorten Labor Government. Let’s get this done – it’s time.”

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2 responses to “‘Turnbull has sold out LGBTI Australians’: Plibersek”

  1. sorry but the marriage debate has pretty much nothing to do with Transgender individuals …… unless they are gay which means they should identify as GAY.

  2. Yes, it is generally agreed that the Coalition’s “Marriage Equality Plebiscite” is widely regarded as being a monumental waste of time and money. Let us not forget that it was introduced – PROMISED – by Tony Abbott and not Malcolm Turnbull. Abbott, being the deceitful, dishonest person he is, proposed this nonsense deliberately because he knew, as all of us should have known, that the results of such a Plebiscite are Not Binding on Any Government so that the homophobe Abbott could, and he would, – even if it was approved by 100% of the Voters simply ignore it.
    Yes, the Federal Parliament should simply go to a Vote, remembering always that there are just as many red-neck, homophobes within the ALP as there are within the Abbott Ultra-Conservative red-neck clique within the Coalition and, if as has been mooted, the ALP are allowed a Conscience Vote, the Legislation could & probably would fail to pass.
    Give a thought to the outcry by unthinking people who can’t tell the difference between a NON_BINDING “Plebiscite” and a “Referendum” which IS BINDING on Government, if Turnbull simply broke yet another Coalition Promise by scrapping Abbott’s absurd plebiscite.
    The poor bloody man can’t win – at least not until the Party he currently leads gets elected with him as leader and becomes the Legitimate PM.