"Frankly people who have very strong religious views, they have also been subject to ... quite dreadful hate speech and bigotry as well," Mr Morrison told ABC radio on Wednesday morning. Penny Wong and partner Sophie Allouache after the birth of their daughter Alexandra in 2011. "I understand the concerns Penny is raising, I know it from personal experience having been exposed to that sort of hatred and bigotry for the views I've taken from others who have a different view to me." Mr Morrison, who opposes gay marriage and worships at an American-style Pentecostal church in Sydney, said he was "sensitive" to concerns among LGBTI Australians but expressed "a bigger view" about people's capacity for respectful debate. In a speech on Tuesday night, Senator Wong - who has two children with her partner Sophie Allouache - said this argument put forward by the Coalition was "the hollowest of hollow words".

"A plebiscite designed to deny me and many other Australians a marriage certificate will instead license hate speech to those who need little encouragement," she said, even though she does not doubt the "good sense" of the Australian people. Treasurer Scott Morrison says people with strong religious view on same-sex marriage have been subjected to hatred too. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen "Mr Turnbull, and many commentators on this subject, don't understand that for gay and lesbian Australians hate speech is not abstract. It's real. It's part of our everyday life." Meanwhile, Senator Bernardi has challenged the Prime Minister's comments on Monday's episode of Q&A in which he was asked about the conduct of conservative Coalition MPs on LGBTI issues. Conservative Turnbull government senator Cory Bernardi.

"It is unfortunate that the sole guest Malcolm Turnbull didn't correct the record and instead sought to appease the baying crowd when challenged by the left-leaning cheerleader and host Tony Jones," Senator Bernardi wrote on his blog. "By saying he'd had "firm discussions" with "a number of colleagues", Turnbull gave implicit support to the claim that myself and other Coalition MPs are 'homophobic' and implied that he'd had a conversation with me about 'homophobia'. "For the record I have never had such a conversation with any of my colleagues because they know that any such claims cannot be backed with facts." Senator Bernardi said advocates of same-sex marriage are stifling legitimate debate with frivolous accusations of homophobia. On Wednesday morning, Mr Turnbull reiterated his "faith in the good sense and the decency and mutual respect of Australians".