Australian marriage advocates defend referendum push

Fresh questions are being raised about Abbott’s leadership even though last Tuesday’s outcome pleased his conservative base within the Liberal party, on whom his survival depends.

Warren Entsch, a 65-year-old former crocodile farmer who has been dubbed a progressive redneck in the media, introduced a private member’s bill that would allow same-sex marriage throughout Australia.

A staunch Catholic who briefly trained as priest before working as a journalist, Abbott has been accused by the opposition Labor party of forcing the country to back his views.

A cross-party bill now being drafted, which so far has the support of the Greens and senators Ricky Muir, Jacquie Lambie, Nick Xenophon, Glenn Lazarus and David Leyonhjelm, would require Australians to cast a vote on gay marriage at the same time they go to the polls for the election.

They say we moved too soon.

The Attorney-General George Brandis agrees the vote should be by plebiscite, not referendum, as argued by opponents of same sex marriage like the Social Services Minister Scott Morrison.

Despite growing public support for same-sex marriage, with a poll last year finding those in favour of equal rights had reached a record high of 72 percent, Australia has not yet legalised marriage equality.

Crucially, support of a national vote was consistent throughout the three categories in the same-sex marriage debate – being for, against or neutral – at 77 percent, 77 percent and 74 percent respectively.

Prominent Labor MP Wayne Swan and government backbenchers Natasha Griggs and Wyatt Roy sat close to Mr Entsch as he presented the legislation.

Brandis said if there was a plebiscite it should be compulsory voting, and the question should be about same-sex marriage, not one containing multiple options (such as civil unions).

A plebiscite is like a referendum, but is carried out because the issue at hand does not affect the Constitution.

Implicit in the subsequent discussion has been the idea that, once again, the US has been asking us behind closed doors to join the bombing raids in Syria.

By engaging in party-room chicanery, he’s also cast himself as someone willing to divide his own team and undermine one of the fundamental principles on which his party was founded.

In worse news for Mr Abbott, the poll suggests his government would lose the next election in a 36-seat “wipe-out”, capping a horror run for the Coalition in recent months.

“I don’t say that it’s not a decision that the community won’t embrace ultimately”.

“A divided nation is what we will be if we continue to allow discrimination in relation to marriage on the basis of a person’s sexuality”.

Cabinet is expected to discuss a potential people’s vote and its timing when it meets later on Monday.

The Australian Marriage Equality organisation immediately called for the plebiscite to be held at the next federal election “to give the next government a mandate to enact marriage equality”.