Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am a man of mixed emotions this afternoon because I think we can do better. There is no doubt that, as the weeks and the months proceed to Christmas and the first half of next year when we will be confronted with a general election, all of the optimism and all that was great in the Australian Senate and, indeed, the House of Representatives that we all witnessed and some of us participated in, Senator Rice, at the end of last year could be lost.

I've only been in the Australian Senate for six years. Others have been here for a much longer period of time, and others in our parliament for shorter periods of time. But I think that the universal view, even for those who disagreed with marriage equality and the success of the private senator's bill that we shaped, was that it was a moment where our parliamentary democracy worked well. Indeed, it's probably one of the very few moments when our parliamentary democracy received so much attention.

We witnessed a Senate committee process that worked well. Senator Fawcett chaired that, and he has reflected on that. We saw a parliamentary debate that was robust and, at times, a bit unpleasant for someone like myself. We saw an unamended bill leave this place and go to the House of Representatives, and we saw many, many members of the House of Representatives do a number of things. Some of them reflected the views of their electorates—many of them reflected the views of their electorates and the outcome of the postal survey, and they voted yes. Some of them—men, as they were—also demonstrated great courage and said, 'On this issue, my conscience says I cannot support it, and I'm going to vote against it.' And then some people abstained. Whether or not people should or shouldn't have abstained after having supported a postal survey is still a very open question, and one that I am not completely reconciled to.

Senator Polley interjecting—

Indeed, Senator Polley, some people in this Senate chamber exercised their conscience on various amendments. But we saw a triumph of parliament over politics and we saw a triumph of community over cynicism, and I think it was a moment that we could all be very proud of.

By coincidence, today, 11 September, marks the day that the postal survey form itself—the ballot—was first revealed.

An honourable senator interjecting—

Thank you, Senator Hume, for being in the chamber, and Senator Reynolds. For those of us who genuinely care about LGBTIQ Australians, who care about our brothers and sisters and who care about the confusion that our parents and grandparents must endure, I think their ask of us would be to avoid the politics on this—to avoid the politics! I don't doubt for one moment everyone's right to bring motions to this Senate, but let me be very clear—

Senator Rice interjecting—

Senator Rice, let me be very clear: the government's position was enunciated by Senator Fifield a few moments ago in the Senate chamber. You heard it as well as I did.