David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Everybody's voice should be heard, no matter whether they are with the LGBTI community or those on the conservative side of our society. They should all be heard; their voices are just as precious as each and the other. But it's our job as the nation's leaders to make sure the debate is undertaken in a respectful matter.

Instead, we have sat here and we have let the vitriol overtake a debate on the mechanism by which we are going to determine this significant and very important matter. We should be better than this. And the reality is that the Labor Party could have come with this. If same-sex marriage were so important to the Labor Party, as they espouse, then we could have sorted this in February. The Australian people could have gone to the polls and been able to give us a direction. We could have had that validity and the result. We could have walked away and the Australian public would have had certainty about where we were going.

We heard before in question time from the member for Lingiari about some people in his constituency who will not get a vote. Let me tell him that my constituency is just as big, and the reality is that I have over 16 per cent of my electorate vote by postal vote every election. The reality is that the mechanism which they are trying to diminish is one that can be undertaken and can give a proper result for every and each Australian's view. It should be done, and they should be given their opportunity to do it.

But what price do we put on democracy? One hundred and twenty-two million dollars is being espoused here as a huge amount. This is the Australian people's voice; they should have that opportunity. One hundred and twenty-two million dollars is lot of money, but this is a significant change in this nation's history. And if it is passed then $122 million is money well spent. You can never put a price on democracy. To do it, you are cheapening what we are here to represent and protect.

So we need to ensure that we walk out of this place and ensure that we lead our communities—that we call out the vitriol that may come out at a local level for what it is. We should make sure that people feel confident and safe in giving their view and be able to do that with confidence, knowing that when we come back to this place the Australian people will have given this parliament the direction to undertake. That is strong leadership and that is what our Prime Minister is providing to each and every one of us—to this nation. For him to stand up and put on the record exactly how he will vote is leadership. It's him telling the nation exactly how he's going to vote. That's something that is so powerful.

We on this side still respect the office of Prime Minister, and so do the Australian public. I have to admire the Prime Minister, who has his personal views on this. He has been proud enough to come out with them and has made a pathway forward instead of trying to find a way to frustrate the nation in determining this once and for all. That is something we that we as a nation should be proud of, that leadership; we have a Prime Minister who will forge his way through to give the Australian people a say on this important matter, and we should respect that until the day we die. Thank you.

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