Jack Black blasts Australia’s Prime Minister Tony Abbott on gay marriage: ‘He

“That would at least deal with the issue one way or another before the next election”, he said. Now, with antigay Prime Minister Tony Abbott leading the charge, conservatives are pushing a voter referendum.

Community support seems to be running at between 63 and 77 per cent in favour.

Yesterday, Scott Morrison told ABC’s 7.30 a referendum was an option: “I would prefer the Australian people decide this: not me, not [the High Court], but the Australian people”.

“It’s very hard to understand now members of our Parliament can be so thoughtless or so callous”, he said.

Education Minister Christopher Pyne said a public referendum regarding the issue was unnecessary, reported xinhua citing Nine Network. And until Sunday, Canberra’s Airport – the front door to Australia’s halls of power – flashed rainbow colored lights with the words #WeCanDoThis.

The Nationals bolstered the anti numbers, but there would have been a majority against the conscience vote even without them. But that would not necessarily have approved same-sex marriage.

For many LGBT people this is an assault on their being. Most will not risk their careers by doing so, just as most cabinet members will not risk losing their portfolio for the cause.

While Tony Abbott says it’s been decided that a vote would be held after the next election, the Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull is openly defying him, writing on his blog that there’s been no debate on timing in the party room or the Cabinet.

The Independent also reports that Mr. Abbott gained majority of the Coalition support within his party to block votes on marriage equality. They also want the process settled as soon as possible.

The Herald has argued repeatedly that if MPs could not do the right thing on same-sex marriage, a plebiscite like the one held for the national song in 1977 might be required.

It was a timely message given the Prime Minister’s recent woes. We now support a plebiscite at the next election with a question determined by parliament.

The decision meant an end to hopes of a free vote, in which politicians vote according to their conscience rather than along party lines.

He acknowledged there were strong and conflicting views on gay marriage.

Labor’s happy for climate change to be on the agenda, and backbencher Tim Watts on Tuesday reminded parliament of Abbott’s 2009 description of the science as “absolute crap”.

At a doorstop at Spring Street the day after the federal government killed off any chance of gay marriage being legalized this term, Guy accused Abbott and his supporters of “poisoning the well of goodwill for all other elected officials in the country” by not allowing Liberals a conscience vote to determine the issue based on their personal beliefs.

“So the right way to test public opinion on this issue, given that it doesn’t raise a constitutional question, is to have a plebiscite”, he said. The question needs to encompass that.