Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Hansard source

I oppose this motion by the Greens. It is nothing more than a stunt. The Labor Party was clearly of the view that we wanted this issue debated. We do believe that this is a very important issue for debate in this parliament. But to progress this we need to get as much consensus across this parliament as we possibly can. You do not get consensus by pulling stunts. You do not get consensus by taking a position that you think will benefit the individual party—the Greens party against other parties and individuals in this parliament. You do not get that consensus by doing that. This is nothing more than a stunt.

I am really angry that we have a position that the Greens do not understand. We do not have, as Senator Di Natale says, a rare opportunity to end discrimination at the moment. You only have to look at what happened yesterday to know that this parliament is not in that position of having a rare opportunity to end discrimination. There is huge division on this issue. It will mean more work from those of us who want to end discrimination—more of working collectively to try to bring about change in this country—change that is long overdue, change that is important and change that gives everyone the same rights. Pulling stunts to try to get publicity for the Greens at the expense of others who strongly support the same endgame is nothing more than an immature gimmick. It is not acceptable for that behaviour to continue.

I expected more from the leader of the Greens, Senator Di Natale. When he took the leadership, he said he wanted the Greens to be a mainstream party. If you are going to be a mainstream party, Senator Di Natale, you have to work within the mainstream. You do not have to be out there on your own pulling stunts every chance you get. You are continuing to pull stunts at the expense of good policy. That is what you are about today. You said you are not an ideologue. Well, here is an ideological position that you are taking up that is against getting a result. So you failed two of the tests that you set for yourself when you became the leader of the party. I hope you do better, but you are not doing too well today. All you are doing is isolating an opportunity to try to work together to make sure that we get a position of fairness and equity in this country for everyone else.

I also want to talk about Senator Canavan's contribution. He was talking about respect. I have to tell you that I have no respect for Senator Canavan's contribution—absolutely none. I have no respect for people who would stand up publicly and who would, within this parliament, deny people their equal rights in this country. I have absolutely no respect for that. People are entitled to have a view, but it does not mean to say that I have to respect a wrong view. It does not mean that I have to respect a view that is absolutely unacceptable to the majority of Australians—a view based on discrimination, a view based on old-fashioned ideas that are really in the thirties and not now. I do not support any argument that this is about respect and respecting each other's view. We know this is not about respectful debate. We know what the Prime Minister did yesterday. He got the most conservative group in the parliament to make sure his numbers were shored up within the Liberal Party. He was not even confident that he would have the numbers within the Liberal Party on this issue. We want to work with those people of goodwill, with those people of common sense within the coalition who know the time has come for marriage equality. But you will not do it by pulling stunts, you will not do it by ideology and you will not do it by putting your party before the issue. (Time expired)