Andrew Laming (Bowman, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This week I concluded my marriage equality survey in the seat of Bowman, the largest survey of its kind in any electorate in this country. I have been surveying this topic now for four years, and those favouring marriage equality have narrowly lost, with 48 per cent support on each of those occasions. This year it was a far bigger survey, and I prospectively committed to giving my vote to the side that was successful if, indeed, we secured a conscience vote. Today I have to announce those results, which were 58 per cent supporting marriage as it stands and 42 per cent supporting a change. So, of course, I will be supporting the coalition in preserving marriage in its current definition, as we should.

Australians will have a simple choice here. I am a coalition MP who asks my electorate—something that is very unfashionable on the other side. You do not listen to your electorate; you presume a view; you leave a half of your electorate in the dark and they have no say. In my electorate they now know that a vote for the coalition at the next election gives the opportunity of a free vote for Australia. Australians should have a say on this issue, and Labor will deny that—

Ms Butler interjecting—

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order on my left! The member for Griffith!

Andrew Laming (Bowman, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What are you frightened of? I ask that simple question. Give every Australian a say. It does not belong with the politicians. You will do whatever you can, your party will do whatever it can, trying to ram it through this House. It will be bogged in the Senate. It will never get through, even if you are in government. I say that the right move is a plebiscite. Only the coalition will deliver it. We will not turn on a dime after being elected with a different policy. We are consistent in our view on marriage. We will not change the definition, but Australians get their say. They will not get that under a Labor government.