PM: Gay marriage plebiscite our policy

MALCOLM Turnbull insists his Government’s policy to hold a plebiscite on same-sex marriage remains unchanged after one of his most senior lieutenants lobbed a grenade into the debate.

Cabinet minister Christopher Pyne, a leading figure in the Liberal Party’s moderate faction, told allies on Friday that legalising same-sex marriage could happen “sooner than everyone thinks”.

“Friends, we are in the winner’s circle but we have to deliver a couple of things and one of those we’ve got to deliver before too long is marriage equality in this country,” Mr Pyne told colleagues in a recording obtained by News Corp Australia.

“And your friends in Canberra are working on that outcome. It might even be sooner than everyone thinks.”

Mr Pyne’s remarks, which came on the eve of the Liberal Party’s federal council meeting in Sydney, have the potential to trigger a seismic internal Coalition row.

The prime minister insists his Government would not be abandoning its same-sex marriage plebiscite.

“Our policy is clear, we have no plans to change it, full stop,” Mr Turnbull said in Melbourne yesterday. “That is the policy that we took to the election and we are sticking to it.”

Mr Pyne earlier attempted to defuse his remarks.

“I support marriage equality and if Labor had supported the plebiscite, marriage equality would be a reality now,” he said. “The Government has no plans to alter the policy.”