Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister made it very clear, as indeed did the party room, that for the term of this government the status quo should remain. The reason for that is that that was our policy before the last election and we intend to stand by our election commitments. What the Prime Minister has also said is that if that position changes we will take a position to the next election. And I would once again ask, if we are to have a proper debate in this nation about changing the social structure of marriage, that it should be an informed and tolerant debate and not the sort of shouting and shrill interjections that we get from people right across the Labor Party.