Hanson: There’ll be a ban on saying mum and dad

Australian Senator Pauline Hanson has warned that legalising same-sex marriage could result in a ban on children calling their parents “mum and dad”.

The One Nation leader has told Parliament that she will ignore a majority “yes” result of a postal survey on the issue in Australia.

“I feel it’s a sham, it’s farcical and it’s a waste of money,” she said of the A$122 million ($134.4m) ballot.

Hanson also slammed gay couples for trying to “take the word marriage”.

Hanson said marriage equality would mean school children would be banned from calling their parents “mum and dad” so as not to offend the children of same-sex couples.

She feared anti-vilification laws, which cleared both houses of Parliament yesterday, would shut down the “no” campaign and free speech.

Labor Senator Penny Wong, who is a parent in a same-sex relationship, urged Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to protect children like her own, saying, “How do you think it feels for children in same-sex families . . . to be told politely and courteously, ‘Actually, you’re not quite normal, your families aren’t as good’?”

The new laws make it an offence to vilify, intimidate or threaten to cause harm to a person on the basis of their sexual orientation, gender identity, intersex status or religious conviction during the survey.

The survey form asks, “Should the law be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry?” followed by yes and no boxes to be marked.

The result will be announced on November 15.