Robert Simms (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the document.

I refer to the letter received by the President on 17 November advising of the motion passed by the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia that calls on the federal government 'to abandon the proposed plebiscite on marriage equality and urgently calls on all members of the Federal Parliament to have a free vote on a bill to amend the Marriage Act 1961, to provide for marriage equality.' This was recently supported by this Senate during the last sitting period. Members would recall that the Senate passed a Greens motion noting that a plebiscite is divisive, costly and not necessary and calling on Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to provide a free vote on the issue of marriage equality by Christmas.

The clock is ticking. There is still an opportunity for Mr Turnbull to break with the Abbott prime ministership and show some leadership on this issue. At the moment, Mr Turnbull is in the Lodge but Tony Abbott is his ghostwriter. He is still drafting these policies and still setting the policy agenda of this government from his political grave. We have seen that on a range of issues from climate change to marriage equality. Mr Turnbull needs to break with the Abbott era and provide a free vote.

We have talked about this plebiscite before here in this place, but let us make no mistake here: it is often presented as some kind of way of providing progress on this reform. What a nonsense that is. What a complete sham it is to spend $160 million of taxpayer funds to ask a question we already know the answer to. The people who are putting this idea on the table are not doing it because they think that it is going to bolster the prospects of success or because they are wanting to deliver this reform. They are doing it because they are trying to find another roadblock. They are trying to concoct some other elaborate excuse, some other way of shutting the door on marriage equality for same-sex couples in this country, some other way of furthering Tony Abbott's ridiculous ideological opposition to marriage equality in this country.

We have a new Prime Minister, and he needs to put his money where his mouth is. He needs to break with the Abbott era and offer a different style of leadership. We are not seeing that at the moment. We have, as I say, Mr Turnbull in the Lodge but Tony Abbott being his ghostwriter, still pushing this agenda. It is clear, however, that momentum for marriage equality is building in this country. There is a mounting list of parliaments rejecting a plebiscite and calling on the parliament to act. I do congratulate the Parliament of Western Australia for taking that step. It is great to see the Senate here doing the same thing. We do need to, collectively, keep the pressure on Mr Turnbull so that he acts on this important issue. Let us have a free vote on marriage equality before Christmas.

Question agreed to.