Campaign funds axed

THE Turnbull Government will scrap funding set aside for the “yes” and “no” gay marriage campaigns in a bid to secure Senate support for a compulsory plebiscite.

It is understood the Coalition joint partyroom meeting yesterday agreed that an amendment would be made to junk the $15 million “yes” and “no” campaign war chest if the Senate agreed to resume the second reading debate in the Upper House and to pass the plebiscite Bill this week.

Failing that, it will hold a postal plebiscite from September 12 instead.

A postal plebiscite will cost $122 million to run, three times more than the original estimate of $40 million. It will be run by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Ballots will be mailed from September 12 and a final result known by November 15.