Luke Hartsuyker (Cowper, National Party, Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I welcome the opportunity to place on the public record my position and my views in relation to the issue of same-sex marriage. The coalition government made a commitment to the people of Australia to let them have their say on this important issue. I must say that at the time there was very significant debate about the merits of running a postal survey to ascertain the views of the Australian people, but the response to that survey was absolutely overwhelming, with some 79.5 per cent of people deciding to participate in that survey. This is an outstanding result by international standards when you compare it with, for example, the EU Brexit referendum, which came in at around 72.7 per cent. In the 2016 US presidential election, the participation rate was in the order of 60 per cent. In the British election the following year, it was around 70 per cent. So there was a huge amount of interest in this issue from Australians from all walks of life.

I must say that the debate that has ensued to this point in this House on the Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Bill 2017 has been respectful and heartfelt. I wish to record my position. Just as the participation in the survey was so overwhelming, so was the result, with some 61.6 per cent of Australians answering yes and 38.4 per cent answering no. That was broadly the response that was achieved in my electorate, with some 60 per cent answering yes and 40 per cent answering no. In the electorate of Cowper, which I'm privileged to represent, some 95,800 voters completed the survey. I have always been clear on my stance with regard to same-sex marriage that I personally don't support that, and in fact I recorded a no vote in that survey. But I certainly respect the decision of the Australian people, and I've always said that I will respect the decision made by the majority of the Australian people.

In this process, I've been communicating regularly with my constituents on this matter and I have received numerous representations on both sides of the argument. There have been a range of concerns raised about the issue of religious freedom, which has come up very regularly in this debate. There have been concerns in relation to the issue that the bill as currently drafted affords no protections to Christians who, for matters of conscience, would consider the provision of services to a same-sex marriage as making them complicit in an activity which contravenes their faith. That is their view. I certainly respect that view, and I'm certainly of the view that all Australians would respect those Christians who feel that way. I certainly welcome the announcement of the review of the expert panel into legal protections for religious freedom. The review is led by a very notable former member of this House, Philip Ruddock, with an expert panel consisting of the recently appointed President of the Australian Human Rights Commission, Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher AM; the Hon. Dr Annabelle Bennett AO, SC; and Father Frank Brennan. They are great Australians who will look into that very important issue of religious freedom. During the course of the proceedings in this House, I will be supporting a number of amendments which I believe will improve this bill. However, should the amendments fail, I will be voting yes in accordance with the commitments that I have made.

I would like to conclude with a reflection on the debate that has occurred in my electorate. I must say that there have been issues raised by members in their contributions to this House about the treatment of some on either side of the debate. I must say that, within the electorate of Cowper, the debate has been conducted in a very fair, reasonable and respectful way, with people with very strongly held views on both sides of this question treating each other appropriately. I think that's part of coming from the country. The member for Wright indicated that you can disagree but then sit down and have a cup of tea afterwards. I think a very similar sentiment existed in the electorate of Cowper. To conclude, I welcome the opportunity to place my position on the public record, and I certainly look forward to a very successful conclusion to this issue after the debate within this House.

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