Court’s marriage poll nod
EVERY adult Australian will have their say on the issue of same-sex marriage, Malcolm Turnbull has told Parliament.
The Prime Minister was responding to the High Court’s decision yesterday to dismiss a challenge to the voluntary postal survey.
“Lucy and I will be voting yes and I will be encouraging others to vote yes, but . . . above all, I encourage every Australian to have their say because unlike the Leader of the Opposition I respect every Austra- lian’s view on this matter,” Mr Turnbull said.
Attorney-General George Brandis told Parliament there was now no legal impediment to the survey going ahead.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics will start mailing out survey forms next Tuesday.
A final result will be declared by the Australian Statistician at 11.30am on November 15.
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann said the Government would move quickly to put in place safeguards to ensure the survey was conducted in a “fair and proper” way.
Labor has raised concerns material distributed during the campaign could be hateful and vilify gay and lesbian people.
“We encourage all those involved in campaigning for either the yes or no cases to do so with courtesy and respect,” Senator Cormann said.
Labor leader Bill Shorten asked the Prime Minister in Question Time whether he would accept an invitation to write a joint letter to Australians recommending a “yes” vote. “The Leader of the Opposition can make his case and I’ll make mine,” Mr Turnbull said.
Earlier he taunted Mr Shorten over the Opposition Leader’s 2013 promise to an Australian Christian Lobby forum to support a plebiscite.
Labor has twice blocked plebiscite legislation in Parliament.
Conservative senator Eric Abetz, who will advocate a “no” vote, said the court case was “hypocrisy writ large from the left”.
The Law Council said it would advocate a “yes” vote, arguing marriage laws should not discriminate on the grounds of gender or sexual orientation.