Advocates reiterate call for free vote after Liberal senators say they’ll ignore plebiscite results

Advocates reiterate call for free vote after Liberal senators say they’ll ignore plebiscite results
Image: (PHOTO: David Alexander; Star Observer)

MARRIAGE equality advocates have reiterated their calls for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to allow his party a conscience vote, after two Liberal senators confirmed they would not be held to the outcome of a plebiscite.

“There’s no point having an expensive public vote if politicians won’t abide by the outcome,” Australian Marriage Equality (AME) national director Rodney  Croome said in a statement.

[showads ad=MREC] Senators Eric Abetz and Cory Bernardi caused controversy earlier today by stating they would not vote according to the results of the planned marriage equality plebiscite.

“I would need to determine whether [the plebiscite] really is an accurate reflection [of the national view], whether it is all above board or whether the question is stacked, whether all sides received public funding,” Abetz told Guardian Australia.

Bernardi, on the other hand, was more decisive.

“Even if the public voted for [marriage equality], I wouldn’t vote for it,” he told Fairfax Media.

Unlike a referendum, a plebiscite does not have the power to amend the constitution nor compel MPs to make any change in Australian law. At most, a plebiscite would provide parliament with a mandate to vote in either direction when a bill for marriage equality next appeared in the House of Representatives.

However, the PM said in October last year that the plebiscite would have force.

“When the Australian people make their decision, that decision will stick,” he said in parliament.

“It will be decisive. It will be respected by this government and by this parliament and this nation.

“But let me tell you this. If you imagine that any government, this government or any government, would spend over $150m consulting every Australian on an issue of this kind and then ignore their decision, then they really are not living in the real world.”

Despite this, Abetz reiterated the non-binding nature of a plebiscite.

“It would be up to each member to decide whether the plebiscite accurately reflects the views of the Australian people, whether it reflects the views of their electorates and whether it is good or bad public policy in their view,” he said.

The Australian Electoral Commission’s submission to a Senate inquiry last year estimated the cost of the plebiscite to be $44 million if held at the same time as the next federal election, or $158 million if held on its own.

The Senate subsequently warned against a plebiscite and recommended instead a free vote in parliament.

The idea of a plebiscite first came up after a Liberal party room vote in mid-2015, under the leadership of then-PM Tony Abbott, which determined that its MPs would continue to not have a free vote on a the matter.

Turnbull affirmed his support for a plebiscite after his rise to power several weeks later, despite having supported a free vote in the past.

The Greens and the ALP have also reiterated their calls for the need for a free vote.

“This just demonstrates what a complete nonsense this plebiscite is,” South Australian Greens Senator Robert Simms said in a statement.

“Why should Australians be exposed to a costly and divisive plebiscite if conservative MPs aren’t even bound to accept the outcome?

“It’s time for the parliament to decide and the Prime Minister should grant his members a conscience vote.”

Croome expressed concern that the political divisions of the Coalition were delaying action on a policy with broad social support.

“Many people are concerned that we are having this expensive public vote simply for internal party politics, when we already know Australians support fairness in marriage,” he said.

“The onus is on Malcolm Turnbull to allow his party a free vote on marriage equality as soon as possible so Australia can move on.”

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28 responses to “Advocates reiterate call for free vote after Liberal senators say they’ll ignore plebiscite results”

  1. I live in a safe National Party seat called Calare and there is plenty of support for SSM. Recent polling has said that just over 52% of National Party voters do not want a referendum into SSM and want the issue dealt with now. Remember we live in a country, which has a mandatory voting system and that means bigots and idiots will come out to vote against SSM at the next referendum! I always thought our marriage laws are archaic and out-of-date. They date back to 1961 for god sake! Overall polling has said that over 70% of voters support SSM!

  2. Australia will have marriage equality on July 1, 2020! Religious zealots and bigots have to immediately stop misinterpreting my book! It says love thy neighbour and love everyone! Jesus had a meal with 12 men, so there you have it!

  3. In 2016, you would think that this would not be an issue in Australia. But I was wrong! Over 70% of people in Australia SUPPORT marriage equality. It seems to be the ACL is running the show in 2016, with just a few hundreds of members!

  4. Let’s see $250 million into a referendum or $250 million into fixing the Pacific Highway south of Ballina? I pick the latter! What a joke this country is!

    • I live in Coffs Harbour and that could pay for a bypass of the town for holiday makers! Plenty of us gay surfers up here! No referendums on marriage!

  5. Lets pass a law that bans all members of the Liberal party the right to marry! As a committed Labor voter, I am deeply outraged that a referendum is even planned by the Turnbull Liberal government! I might not like Bill Shorten, but it is about policy. I was never fooled by Turnbull, pretending to be Labor! He is just mutton dressed as lamb! I do not care who is the leader of a party or who is popular, they are just a distraction by the media. It is really about the policies!

    • So true, what a total complete joke to waste $250 million, to have a referendum on marriage equality! I am voting Labor too!

      • I second that! Fred Nile and Tony Abbott married twice, Malcolm Turnbull married four times as well too remember! Also add the Family First party as well! The National party too! And also the Fred Nile party!

  6. The 2016 elephant in the room is the GST, gay marriage, nuclear waste dumps in SA, welfare reform, media reform and Industrial relations reform!

  7. Great news at Midsummer, Bill Shorten said that 95% of Labor MPs and Senators support SSM, and that Labor in the first 100 days of government will have a marriage bill ready and awaiting. Now hopefully when the federal election gets called, we all vote Labor. Please do not vote for the Liberal party, they are planning a ACL referendum – which should not happen. There should be a conscience vote in our nations parliament, not a ACL endorced referendum! Well I will be voting Labor and I hope you all will too!

  8. It seems to me that this Liberal federal government, will go ahead with this marriage referendum. I for one will be boycotting the federal election this year, because of it!

  9. Both parties of Labor and Liberal governments never ever listen to constituents or voters, they only care about their own selfish ideological agendas for themselves and for corporations! Once the election is all done and dusted, it is just “business as usual” for all politicians!

  10. What the Australian government usually does do in an election year is to stall and procrastinate on a controversial issue (such as guns, GST, equal marriage, superannuation, carbon and mining taxes, budget, petrol exise, welfare reform, university reform, Australia card, IR reforms, etc). After the next election, it is a different story, until the media control the debate (e.g. GST). Then it gets abandoned. 10 years later the issue pops up again and round and round it goes! Very predictable! Pass marriage equality, this will encourage tourism and raise about $1 billion dollars in marriage fees in the first year. Raise the GST to 15% on everything, cut company tax to 20% to encourage business in Australia, abolish all payroll tax to help small business and abolish all stamp duty. Raise the tax free threshold to 25,000 per year, lower income tax to 20 cents to the dollar for people earning above 25,001 to under 40,000 per year, lower income tax to 30 cents to the dollar for people earning 40,001 to 80,000 and finally lower income tax to 40 cents to the dollar for people earning 80,001 to 120,000 per year. Anyone earning over 120,001 per year has to pay 50 cents for every dollar earned! Raise the single aged pension to $900 per fortnight. Abolish all the tax exemptions on churches. That is fair and reasonable! Pass a law that says all money raised by petrol tax, must be put back into both roads and public transport to pay for the massive backlog of infrastructure in Australia! This WILL put us back into budget surplus, encourage investment in Australia and encourage people to work!

    • So very true. Someone had to say it! The problem with Australia is a lack of a bill of rights or a human rights act, continuous deficits in our federal budgets, our flag still has the Union Jack, lack of indigenous constitutional recognition, lack of both welfare and tax reform, we are still not a Republic, we still have 20th century marriage laws, both sides of politics Labor and Liberal get very little done 33 days per year when the Australian parliament runs every three years and to make matters worse, we will all get a fine if we do not vote (because voting is mandatory in Australia)!

  11. Well it seems to me that Malcolm Turnbull is worse than Donald Trump! I do not trust Malcolm Turnbull, because I trust a peadophile more than I trust a politician! Well done Australia in 2016, you have hit rock bottom on proposition on a multi-million dollar ($150m) referendum on marriage equality! I am ashamed and embarrassed to be Australian! It was the national parliament back in both 1961 and 2004 – that passed laws on marriage in Australia, not referendums! Since Australia has no bill of rights or human rights act, same-sex marriage has been stalled, delayed and politicians on all sides have been procrastinating until the cows come home! It seems to me that marriage equality will not happen until at least 2019, under a Labor government that is another 2 elections away! You have screwed yourselves Australia!

  12. Australia has become a very corrupted nation where Parliament does what it likes, without the will of the people. The ACL are the ones who are clearly in charge of the legislative agenda of Australia. In 2016 it is a great shame and embarrassment that we can not pass a very simple marriage equality amendment! What a joke this country has turned into!

  13. Malcolm Turnbull should be sacked by the governor-general and we should have a snap election right now!

  14. At least under Labor there will be a government bill introduced on marriage equality in the first 100 days! I am loyal to the Labor party every election since 2010!

  15. I agree with Simon, I too will be boycotting the federal election. I have had enough of the marriage discrimination in 2016! There should be no referendums on the subject, unless it is to do with the GST or an amendment to the Constitution. Millions of dollars will be wasted just for nothing and should be spent on fixing our hospitals, roads, schools and HIV research! What a joke and an embarrassment this country has turned out to be! The thing I have always been taught is to spend money wisely, and this government clearly does not! They even accuse Labor of getting us into debt and deficit every budget year, when in fact the statistics say otherwise!

  16. I am totally embarrassed to be Australian! It is 2016, why is this an issue? I am boycotting the Australian federal election this year, because of the referendum on SSM! My own brother is gay and deserves the right to marry his partner of 17 years!