MP called to listen to voters on marriage
A past election candidate for the seat of Higgins has accused sitting MP Kelly O’Dwyer of not doing enough to canvass her electorate on same-sex marriage.
David Fawcett, who describes himself as a “small l Liberal”, unsuccessfully ran as an independent against Dwyer in 2010 and has started up an online same-sex marriage survey for residents to make their views known.
“Ultimately what I’d like to achieve is to give the people of this electorate a voice, whatever that voice is,” Fawcett told the Star Observer.
“If [Higgins voters] are for gay rights or against it they should have their say.”
In a statement, O’Dwyer rejected Fawcett’s claims stating that same-sex marriage had been raised in the Higgins Survey displayed on her website and that she had discussed the issue with people in her electorate.
“It is not correct to say that I have not canvassed community views on the issue of same-sex marriage,” O’Dwyer told the Star Observer.
“There are mixed views in the community but a large number of people who have contacted me about this issue are in support. I will continue to seek the views of the community and can be contacted [at O’Dwyer’s electorate office].”
The Higgins Survey asks voters to list the most important issue that concern them. Same-sex marriage is listed among 15 other items.
O’Dwyer said she supports the Coaltion’s policy opposing same-sex marriage, but is personally in favour of same-sex civil unions.
Fawcett said O’Dwyer should set up a separate poll to allow Higgins voters to have their say.
“I think it’s disrespectful of the democratic process,” he said. “I think we all deserve better.”
Ah Oliver, the man who lives his life by what ifs!
Better not have gay marriage, there may be gay divorce.
Makes about as much sense as ‘better not step outside the house, might get hit by a bus’
Do you stop and think before you write? Or do you just spew forth whatever ridiculous thought comes into your head? Judging by most of our posts I read on here, the latter is closer to the truth.
I suggest you stop thinking about your own selfishness and remember there are people out there who want the right to marry their long term partners.
If you don’t want to, that’s fine – don’t.
But this is about having the same choices as everyone else ….
everybody is so wrapped up in “Marriage” but do you stop and think about the negative affects of “divorce” we should be taking lessons from past heterosexual so called happy marriages where they only tied the knot to please their parents and because everyone else is getting married and how we can out do our relatives. Oh, we had a fairytale wedding with horse and carriage and everything and a decent honeymoon in the Maldives. One year later, “we’re getting a divorce”
Ronson’s right about Mrs. Markus – she refuses to answer queries about same sex marriage, and she doesn’t even have an old survey like Kelly does. I guess she’ll be taking Leviticus with her to Canberra on Aug 24th.
It appears fairly standard for most Liberal members not to survey their constituents as shown by Louis Markus, Member for Macquarie it appears. At least a box was left to add marriage equality.
http://www.louisemarkus.com.au/Community/CommunitySurvey.aspx
As a Hillsonger, I guess it’s anathema to even mention gays, lesbians and same-sex marriage.
The figures are literally… So last year! A lot can happen in the space of a year. Again we have the issue of no marriage but a union is ok. The thing is that by it’s very nature is discrimination, marriage should be open for all, all inclusive. Do I want to get married in a church? No, I don’t but I want the same status and rights as my heterosexual counterparts. That’s why for me a union will not wash as it’s still not totally equal ands that’s the issue, equality.
Just because someone can be a mongrel to people, does not make it right does it. History is littered with sad politicians who supported cruelty over decency. O’Dwyer is simply joining the ranks!
O’Dwyer cares not what she can do for her country, but what she can milk it for.
Chris that isn’t entirely unfair of you to say that and you may like a little bit more information as to why I think what I do on this issue. My reasoning is explained in a fair bit of detail on my website – if you care to check.
The fact is that Adam Bandt passed a motion that called for all MPs to survey their electorates on the issue of marriage equality. O’Dwyer has not done that and now she’s effectively claiming that a poll she put up before Bandt’s motion passed qualifies as abiding by the letter and spirit of Bandt’s motion.
While I do believe that representatives should be mindful of the needs and opinions of their electorate I do not believe that a representative should be a slave to the whims of the majority. When I commented that her behavior was ‘disrespectful of the democratic process’ I was referring to her choosing to ignore a motion passed in Parliament.
In effect O’Dwyer has demonstrated that she is happy to use Parliament to get her own way but when Parliament requires her to perform a simple task she simply refuses to so. When Parliament passes a law or a motion we all have to live by it, why should MPs get a pass?
Chris, I believe I’ll take your suggestion that if people cared about my issues then as an independent I could win a safe Liberal seat as a complement on my abilities. ;)
About the only thing I can say to assuage the sour grapes notion is that several months ago I approached O’Dwyer to ask her about this issue and she refused to take the meeting. I live in Higgins and as a resident here I was surprised to find that my local MP was unwilling to meet with me or even answer my emails.
You are, of course, free to make up your own mind but Chris, do you think it’s unreasonable to bring these concerns to the attention of the media? Or is it still sour grapes?
How does David see Kellie’s behaviour as being ‘disrespectful to the democratic process’ when he is the one who is ignoring the fact that Kellie was voted in a year ago, yet acting like she doesn’t at all represent the community that voted for her? It sounds a little like sour grapes to me. If the Higgins voters were as interested in this particular issue as David is, I expect David would be the standing MP, not Kellie.
O’Dwyer says her electorate supports Equality in Marriage, her party does not, and she supports Civil Unions when her party does not support that.
What her party does support, is keeping GLBTI out of the Federal Equal Opportunity Act, denying some people access to Nursing homes, and discrimination in many aged care services, let alone the right to marry.
So O’Dwyer at the end of the day supports cruelty to Australians, I think I am certain of that.
As a politician at the start of her career, she would do well to look at the time when the Liberal Party supported the White Australia Policy, and if she wants a long career, she should remember how history remembers this and those who supported it.
The poll that O’Dwyer claimed is her poll for Bandt’s motion was actually published in July 2010. (Thank you Google: http://tinyurl.com/3gspfac)
Brant’s motion went through in November 2010 so I think claiming she is polling the electorate on marriage equality is at best a long bow to draw.
I’m running a marriage equality poll on my website for local residents although all are welcome to participate.
Thank-you very much for picking up this story Andie!