Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Acting Deputy President. I thank Senator Cameron. He has been patient, particularly when the examples I am using in relation to this bill—which I will come back to shortly—are things that I know the Labor Party do not want to hear about. Particularly as we seem to be on broadcast today, I am sure the Labor Party do not want me reinforcing to those people listening just what hypocrisy abounds in the Australian Labor Party when it comes to promising one thing before the election and doing another thing after the election.

I must confess that I am not absolutely confident of what the Labor Party's position is on same-sex marriage, but it seems to change quite a bit—

Australian Greens senators interjecting—

You are not clear either. Then I do not feel so badly that I cannot work it out. I know there are a number of people in the Australian Labor Party who have very, very strong views on both sides of this argument. But my understanding of the Labor policy—and perhaps Senator Cameron, who is speaking next, can elaborate on this for me. I understand that the Labor Party have now decided that this will be a party policy vote. So you will not be able to have a conscience vote in the future, you will not be able to vote on this very complex and difficult issue as you might believe, in all sincerity, that your conscience demands that you do. The Labor Party will regiment you into voting in a particular way. And, if you dare cross the Labor Party, you know the consequences. You are out on your ear, and we have seen a couple of times over the last couple of decades where Labor senators and members have dared to have their own view and they have been expelled from the party for doing that.

I am a member of the coalition and so I went to the last election promising, as all of my colleagues did, that the definition of marriage would stay the same in this term of parliament. Because we are a party that keeps its promises, that is what we are going to do. We know that there are has very, very strong and genuine views on both sides of this matter and so, after a very long, full and involved debate in the coalition party room, we decided by a good majority: why not ask the Australian people what they think on this very complex, difficult, sensitive subject? So that is what the coalition have done. We have said that we will ask the Australian people—and what could be fairer than that? Frankly, I am gobsmacked that anyone could think that asking the Australian people what they think on this rather different matter could be wrong. What could be better in a democracy than going to the Australian public and asking, 'What is your view on this?' I genuinely believe that asking the Australian public what they think is the right way to go about it. And I say here and now that, whatever the result of the referendum, that is what I will be implementing in parliament in the years ahead.

If the Australian people say, 'Yes, this is a good idea', then, in a democracy, having been told by my constituents across Australia, that is what I will be doing. I simply cannot understand why anyone would think that is a bad idea. Ask the Australian people in a democracy. People will say, 'We don't ask them to pass the budget', 'We don't ask them to pass road traffic laws'; we do that in parliament. That is what parliament is about, and that is all true and correct. But I think everyone would agree that this is an issue beyond the normal rules of government and it does involve people's very personal beliefs, opinions and emotions, and it is something that I think the Australian people should be given an opportunity to have a say on.

I know the churches have a view, and it is a genuine view, but I know other people—a lot of my gay friends—have a quite different view, and I respect that view as well. But I do think in an issue like this the right way to do it is to ask the Australian public. Isn't that what a democracy is about? If I were in the Labor Party and asking people to vote for me because I had a policy on this, I would not know which member of the Labor Party I was supporting, because I know some on the other side have very strong, deeply held, reasonable views against same-sex marriage, and I know that there are members of the Labor Party, similarly, who have very strong views in favour of same-sex marriage. If you vote for the Labor Party, which one are you voting for?

So there is that difficult question. It is an unusual question in that it is not the normal sort of thing we debate here. I think the coalition has made the right decision, and certainly I was part of that decision that said, 'In issues like this, let's ask the people of Australia.' Mind you, I would not mind if we added to the referendum a question on medically assisted termination of life. That is another issue in that same category. I have made my views on that known very clearly, but I think that is another decision that could well be put to the Australian public to ask the Australian public what they think about it. Again, those two issues are issues where people have very firm, very reasonable, very fixed, very deeply held and emotional views: the subject of same-sex marriage and, I might add, the subject of euthanasia. In a democracy, what better can you do than to ask the people of Australia what their view is? Frankly, I have never heard a real argument as to why asking our fellow Australians what they think is so wrong.

I think Senator Brandis indicated that the referendum would be held pretty soon. It does not matter to me whether it is by 31 December or by 31 January or whenever, but it will be pretty soon. Once the referendum is held, the results of the Australian view—the decision the Australian public give in that referendum—will if necessary be legislated very quickly and will become law very quickly—that is, assuming that the voters say yes. People tell me in debates, 'Everyone supports this.' Okay, if everyone supports this, why not have the referendum? Why not confirm it? You will never have any doubt about it if you ask the Australian people what their view is. If, as those in favour of this legislation before us say, it is a foregone conclusion and everybody wants this, let's just ask the Australian people. It is their right, and perhaps they do. Then they will have no fear from the plebiscite. The plebiscite will express the view of all Australians on this quite difficult and sensitive issue.

So that is the approach we have taken. The coalition parties are always open, transparent and honest about what we will promise at an election and then what we will deliver after it. We are not one of these parties—unlike, regrettably, our opponents in this chamber—who before an election say one thing, as I have demonstrated, and after the election do the exact opposite. We promised before the election the marriage definition would stay. We subsequently promised we will carry out our promise for this term, but we have said, for the next term, 'Let the people of Australia decide.' What could be fairer than that? (Time expired)