Lucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

This is a historic moment in our nation's history, whatever your views have been or continue to be in relation to the definition of marriage. It's a historic moment that has arisen from the voice of the Australian people, not simply the voices of parliamentarians debating legislation in this place. Thanks to the postal survey, every Australian has had the opportunity to participate in the conversation, to have their say and to cast their vote on whether the law should be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry. As such, there is an enormous sense of legitimacy around the legislation that we are debating tonight, the Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Bill 2017, and I also believe there is an overwhelming respect for what is one of the most significant social reforms in our nation's history.

I want to pay tribute to everyone in the coalition party room—including the former Prime Minister, the member for Warringah, and the Prime Minister, the member for Wentworth—for holding firm to our commitment to allow all Australians to have their say on whether the law should be changed. This was despite all the public opposition, the dire predictions, the threats, the offensive comments and the claims that the Australian people could not be trusted to hold a respectful conversation about such an important social change. Despite all of that, we stayed true to our commitment to allow all Australians to have their say, and they have spoken. Despite my own beliefs, I accept the result and I commit to respecting and reflecting on the floor of parliament the outcome as I consistently pledged to do. Just like millions of other Australians, people on the Central Coast overwhelmingly had their say. Eight out of 10 people who were enrolled to vote took part in the postal survey, with 65.7 per cent of eligible voters voting yes and 34.3 per cent voting no.

Holding a plebiscite in the form of a postal survey meant that we were able to hear directly from everyone, from a family of six in Kariong to a grandmother in Terrigal to a shopkeeper in Kincumber and to a university student at Umina Beach. In fact, many of these locals have written to me, people like Amber at Daleys Point, who said, 'I would like to thank you for committing to support the outcome of the marriage equality survey. I would like to say that I appreciate the effort your team put in to having your opinion voiced in such a tumultuous period.' Even those who doubted the postal survey were respectful to those who were willing to listen to the outcome. Melanie from Woy Woy wrote a beautiful email to me. She said of the process, 'It gives me faith in our political system that you can put aside any personal prejudice on this issue in order to stand with the majority of your constituents.' Melanie also said, 'If I ever find the right girl to settle down with, you will be invited to my wedding.' To Melanie, I would be glad to receive your invitation.

Receiving notes like this reinforces, beyond just my own personal principles and the desire to fulfil a promise that I made to my community, the need to respect and reflect the outcome of the postal survey. I intend to vote yes in this place to enact a law to allow same-sex couples to marry, not, I should clarify, because I voted yes myself in the postal survey. I have been very open and honest in declaring that I did, in fact, vote no, and I have been very vocal in explaining my reasons why.

But I will support this legislation in whatever form it is decided upon by the parliament following our debate on amendments because the process enabled and supported by this government to hold a plebiscite has ensured that we have had the national debate we needed. This was a debate that we needed to fully explore the impact, the meaning and the potential consequences of redefining marriage in Australian law. We've helped those who stand by the view that marriage is between a man and a woman to have a legitimate vehicle for debate. Just as importantly, we provided the same platform to those who advocated for the change.

Sadly, the necessary respect for this process was not always embraced. Unfortunately, Labor and Labor's advocates on the Central Coast refused to accept a need for a plebiscite at all and continued to push a political agenda that had less to do with advocating a philosophical belief and more to do with attempting to delegitimise any process proposed by the coalition government to resolve the question of same-sex marriage. Unfortunately, in the course of the campaign, from advocates over the past few years, slogans like 'marriage equality' and 'love is love' became such powerful phrases that they were unfortunately sometimes used as emotional weapons against those who did not support changing the definition of marriage.

Those who dared to ask a question about whether there may be any unintended ramifications to same-sex marriage legislation ran the risk of being potentially branded a bigot or a homophobe. Even Labor senator Deborah O'Neill, herself once an outspoken advocate for traditional marriage, retreated to calling the plebiscite an unnecessary conversation and a glorified opinion poll and did not vote on this bill either way in the Senate. Labor's candidate for Robertson, Anne Charlton, the state member for Gosford in the New South Wales parliament, Liesl Tesch, and Labor aligned advocates used every opportunity they could to portray a sense that the only way to believe in equality was to change the way that our society had thought about families for centuries.

My response was that just as it was okay for them to say yes and it was also okay for me and millions of others to say no during the postal survey, during the debate that occurred over the last few months, I also said that it was okay to say no and at the same time to be able to believe in love, to believe in equality and to believe in commitment in relationships. With respect to the outcome that has led me to speak on this debate in the chamber tonight, if it was okay to say yes and okay to say no, it is also okay to respect the voice of millions of Australians who also expressed their deeply held beliefs in the importance of religion, freedom of speech and parental choice.

The Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Bill is what the title says: a bill about the definition of marriage and how that may impact on freedoms. So this means that it is right to explore what we want marriage to be, including the fact that under this legislation marriage is defined as a union of two people to the exclusion of all others. But it is also right to explore why it's equally important that our freedoms are protected.

My primary concern that I expressed during the plebiscite debate, both as an MP and as a mother, is one that has been raised with me by thousands of other people around the country. It's based around the notion that marriage is about more than love and equality. It's also a commitment that two parents will work together to the best of their ability to raise their children. That's not a view that I express lightly or without listening to the heartbeat of my community. Neville and Dawn in Ettalong Beach were among the hundreds who have contacted me. Neville and Dawn have a view that many share. They said that they believe in all people being respected, regarded and accepted equally, regardless of colour, race, religion, social beliefs or gender difference. But they said that to change the Marriage Act may have some ramifications. Fay and Michael from Erina raised concerns that these consequences would impact on the way that children saw their identity, while Alan from Narara was concerned about freedom of speech and religion being restricted. David from Koolewong believed that many are unaware of other possible unintended outcomes, like restrictions on choices, limits to actions and curbs on free speech. David said that the same fairness they thought they were sharing, they were giving away.

These are valid and real concerns in our community, so, regardless of my support for this legislation that is before the House, I still believe that it is important to ensure that we are not eroding freedoms that we now take for granted. This is especially true for our children and future generations, so that they are not subject, for instance, to the new ideology of gender neutrality which we are already seeing in programs like Safe Schools—at least not without first seeking parental consent.

The same-sex marriage debate was defined long before the postal survey as being about equality and love, but as a nation we have not yet settled the question of whether gender remains relevant for young Australians and for future generations of young Australians. So we should definitely be prepared to continue engaging in that conversation and to ask, respectfully, whether gender matters, and what the consequences of gender-neutral theory for young people may mean. After all, we have never had a generation of children that have grown up without gender as a reference point in their lives.

I am also seeking assurance, having looked closely at this bill and the suggested amendments, that changes being made to our marriage laws will not undermine the stability and freedom of faith and religious expression or impact detrimentally on important principles of freedom of speech. As such, I foreshadow my intention to vote in support of any sensible amendments that are proposed in this House that appropriately and properly deliver necessary safeguards to protect these important freedoms.

We need to ensure that legislation designed to provide equal rights for two persons to marry regardless of their gender does not inadvertently entrench a new inequality against those whose religious or conscientious beliefs align with a centuries-old framework of marriage. So while I will vote yes to the final bill, regardless of which amendments are adopted by this House, as the Treasurer and member for Cook said in this place, it is now time to pass a truly inclusive bill, one that recognises the views of 100 per cent of Australians and not just 61 per cent.

In closing, may I reflect on my first speech to this chamber. I said that I have a strong belief that the family is the bedrock of Australian society and that we need to do everything we can to strengthen those families. I still believe this holds true and that by supporting our families, in whatever form they may take, as the most fundamental institution for the development of the individual, we are taking care of our nation's future. It is my sincere hope that, with this legislation to allow same-sex couples to marry enacted in the Australian parliament, the focus for the Australian parliament and, indeed, for our nation becomes how we can continue to work on supporting and strengthening Australian families.

In the future, when each one of us has long since left this place, my hope is that the mark of our maturity as a nation will be our emphasis on honouring and strengthening our families and defending the freedoms which are so deeply ingrained in our national identity. It is a hope I believe we can build on firm foundations, and a hope in which I am personally convicted through my lifelong belief and faith in my God. To those for whom the postal survey was not the outcome they voted for, rest assured I will continue to fight to ensure that your freedoms are protected, and our families are strengthened to benefit our Australian society and our future. This is, indeed, an historic moment wherever you sit on the spectrum of views on same-sex marriage, and I thank the House for the opportunity to take part in the debate.

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