The Greens candidate for Brisbane, Kirsten Lovejoy, has hit out at the LNP's Trevor Evans for directing voters to preference anti-gay party Family First in next weekend's federal election. Despite this, Ms Lovejoy said she decision was likely to have been taken out of Mr Evans' hands and been political manoeuvring from within the party. "It's the dinosaurs in his party that are pulling the strings," she said. "It's farcical for them to preference a party that has no policy beyond the intolerance of others. "It's part of the reason people are so fed up with the old parties."

Mr Evans hit back at Ms Lovejoy's claims, saying she was using his sexuality for political point-scoring. "I reject the Greens candidate using my sexuality to try to score political points," he said. "I am a genuine person, my views have been very consistent, unlike the Greens candidate's position on the lockout laws, where she was in favour of the lockouts when she was a candidate for Brisbane central in the state election and she is against the lockouts now they are proving to be unpopular. "When you consider the terrible impact those laws will have on gay bars and that LGBTIQ youth rely on them as safe spaces, she really needs to rethink her own preference." The stoush came as Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull revealed LNP MPs would be allowed to vote with their conscience regardless of the outcome of a marriage equality plebiscite planned if they are returned to office.

"People expect marriage equality, it's embarrassing that Australia doesn't allow same-sex marriage," Ms Lovejoy said. "We have this $160 million plebiscite looming in front of us which is pointless anyway because we know politicians aren't bound by the result." Mr Evans said he supported Mr Turnbull's move for a plebiscite and said both Labor and the Greens had failed to deliver marriage equality in the past. "I am in favour of it and I expect to see marriage equality achieved in the next term of Parliament with the full support of Malcolm Turnbull, who is Australia's first prime minister ever to be consistently in favour of it," he said. "The other side has made promises multiple times to the LGBTIQ community and failed to deliver them. This is the first time that the LNP has outlined a way forwards and I expect it to be delivered."

Regardless of Mr Evans' position on marriage equality Ms Lovejoy said the move by him, or the party, to direct preferences to anti-gay parties was "hypocritical". "Do I think it is hypocritical? Absolutely and I do think it is a sell-out, yes," she said. "You can't go out into the community to say one thing and then show on your how-to-vote, preference number two Family First ... That's not sending the message that needs to be sent." The LGBTIQ community will hold a marriage equality rally beginning in Queens Park on Saturday where Ms Lovejoy will join Greens senator Larissa Waters and Labor's Pat O'Neill speaking. Mr Evans said he hadn't been invited to speak but may attend as a member of the public.