Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Minister for Small Business) Share this | Hansard source

The member for Fenner might cast doubt on the last census, but can I assure him that the response rate for households was 95.1 per cent, on a par with any previous census. It was on a par with the census conducted by the member for Maribyrnong.

Opposition members interjecting—

You might laugh and you might mock, but your electorates rely on the information that comes from that census. When you're knocking the census, you're knocking the good public servants who work very hard. The member for Canberra and the member for Fenner should be sticking up more for those public servants who work for the Australian Bureau of Statistics. By knocking the census you are knocking the public servants who work for the ABS—good, hardworking, diligent public servants. I would have thought better of the member for Fenner. I would have thought better of him prior to the last year's census, and I would have thought better of him now.

An issue has been directed to the Australian Statistician, David Kalisch, asking the Australian Bureau of Statistics to request statistical information from all Australians on the electoral roll as to their views on whether or not the law in relation to same-sex marriage should be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry. What could be more fair than that? Give the people their say. If a plebiscite is so good for the republic, as we had from left field from the member for Maribyrnong recently, why not have a postal survey for and on behalf of the people for same-sex couples to marry?

See this speech in context