O’Dwyer: marriage talk not over

Higgins MP Kelly O’Dwyer says she is still “reflecting” on the issue of same-sex marriage, despite outwardly rejecting it in a 2009 interview.

In a 2009 ABC Radio interview, following her election to the seat which takes in South Yarra and Prahran, O’Dwyer said she was “somebody who believes that marriage is between a man and a woman.”

But speaking to the Star Observer last week, O’Dwyer said her personal views are not settled and she is still speaking to her electorate on the issue.

“I’ve spoken to people in the electorate of Higgins on a huge range of issues, and same-sex marriage is one of them,” O’Dwyer said. “My views on this issue are not deeply held views. I am still reflecting on this issue, just as I would on other social issues.”

2010 independent Higgins candidate David Fawcett, last week accused O’Dwyer of not doing enough to canvass her electorate on same-sex marriage.

O’Dwyer again rejected Fawcett’s claims and took a swipe at Bandt.

“It is my understanding that Adam Bandt hasn’t conducted a survey on this issue,” O’Dwyer said.

“For someone who claims consultation is important, he has failed his own test.”

Speaking on gay and lesbian radio station JOY 94.9, Bandt said he had a mandate with voters on the issue.

“We did have a consultation and it was the election,” Bandt said.

“I went to the election saying I want to make this an issue I stood on as a platform and I expressly said one of the reasons I asked people to vote for me was so it was understood this was an important issue.

“I think we had a pretty good consultation period during the election and since then we’ve sent out a general survey to the electorate asking people to rank the importance of issues and of all the hundreds and hundreds of responses I had only one negative response and many, many more positive.”

Bandt urged voters in the electorates of Higgins and Kooyong, with strong gay and lesbian populations, to make their views know.

“One of the questions that needs to asked is what are the members for Kooyong and Higgins, two Liberal held electorates in areas that … have positive [attitudes] when it comes to same-sex relationships… what are they going to say [when MPs report back to parliament on Aug 24]?”

“Why are small ‘l’ Liberals, who profess to believe in freedom of choice and an individual’s right to decide and do whatever they like, why have they been so silent?”