Gai Brodtmann (Canberra, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We are in the final days of this expensive, divisive postal survey on marriage equality. The survey closes on 7 November, yet tomorrow is the last day that Australians should mail their survey to ensure it's counted. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, about 12 million surveys have been returned so far, and this is the one thing that is keeping the yes campaigners awake at night—the realisation that millions of votes may simply never get posted. You could be forgiven for thinking the result was actually in the bag; the most recent poll showed almost 60 per cent of those who had already voted or sent in their survey had ticked 'yes'. But this lead has steadily been decreasing, apparently, over the course of the campaign, so we can't afford to be complacent.

In a tightening race, pro-marriage equality campaigners are becoming concerned, not about 'no' voters but about lazy 'yes' voters. Their chief concern is the roughly two million people under the age of 35, most of whom say they'd vote yes but who haven't yet sent in their survey. That apathy could tip the result to no. So I'm calling on all Canberrans and all Australians out there—especially young Canberrans and Australians—who haven't yet posted their survey to make sure they get out and post their survey tomorrow. Put it on the to-do list; post that survey tomorrow. I'm calling on you to vote yes for marriage equality in Australia.