The prime minister draws a distinction between sexuality and the controversial marriage issue – but pledges to accept the verdict of a plebiscite

Tony Abbott has affirmed the principle that “it is OK to be gay” as he drew a distinction between the dignity of people regardless of their sexuality and the issue of same-sex marriage.

The prime minister, who firmly opposes same-sex marriage, also said he would “accept wholeheartedly” the verdict if Australians endorse the change in the so-called people’s vote he has promised some time in the next term of parliament.

The Coalition held a six-hour meeting to wrestle with internal divisions over the issue two weeks ago and decided against granting its MPs and senators a free vote on the issue during this term of parliament.

Abbott emerged from the meeting flagging a plebiscite or referendum after the next election, although senior ministers – including the attorney general, George Brandis – publicly rejected a referendum on the basis that no change to the constitution was needed.

The Liberal backbencher Warren Entsch sought support from colleagues for same-sex marriage by highlighting a video by Lachlan Beaton, who described how he had kept his sexuality hidden for 12 years because he felt it was wrong to be gay.

Abbott was asked during a radio interview on Monday whether he had seen Beaton’s video, which urges MPs to support same-sex marriage to help young Australians who are struggling to come to terms with their sexuality.

“I haven’t seen the video but his case has been raised with me by, funnily enough, one of your radio rivals, Alan Jones,” Abbott told 2UE’s Justin Smith.

“He made the point to me privately, it has to be said, that what this gentleman wants is someone to say that it’s OK to be gay and look, I’m happy to say that. I’m very happy to say that.

“I think it’s absolutely clear that there are two different issues here. One is the rights and dignity of people regardless of their sexuality and the other is whether we want to move down the track of same-sex marriage and I think they’re two different issues.”

Beaton, 34, who grew up in regional Victoria but is now based in Sydney where he is campaigning on mental health issues, welcomed Abbott’s remarks as sending a positive signal to young people who were struggling with feelings of exclusion.

“The whole reason I came out with this video is that I felt that decision makers are not taking into account the impacts that this can have on same-sex-attracted people,” Beaton said.

“Like him or not, he is the leader of the country. If I heard him say it’s OK to be gay, it’s OK to be yourself, I would have felt far more comfortable talking about my sexuality as a child rather than all I’ve ever heard him say up to today is that gay people can’t be married.”

Beaton said he hoped Abbott’s remarks would also send a message to the whole community that delegitimised discrimination on the basis of sexuality.

In the radio interview, Abbott was also asked whether he thought change was inevitable. Abbott said if same-sex marriage was legalised it “should be change by the whole people rather than change simply brought about by the parliament” because it was a very personal issue.

“I take the traditional position that marriage is between a man and a woman,” he said.

“It’s been the position since time immemorial. I don’t say that there can’t be change. There are many things that were taken for granted in previous times that we no longer take for granted. There were things that were just regarded as the natural order of things in times past which we now think were dead wrong and it’s to our credit that we now think those things are dead wrong.



“So I’m not saying that change is out of the question, I’m just saying that if there is to be change it should be change that’s owned by the people, not just by the parliament.”

Abbott’s comment contradicts his statement to parliament in May that the decision “ought to be owned by the parliament and not by any particular party”. The original remark was in response to the introduction of a private member’s bill by the Labor leader, Bill Shorten, and was interpreted as signalling a preference for the parliament to consider a cross-party bill co-sponsored by MPs from all sides of politics.

When asked on Monday whether he would support the people’s decision if they voted to support same-sex marriage, Abbott said: “Obviously I’ll accept it wholeheartedly because that’s what you do in a democracy. When the people speak on something which has been rightly and properly entrusted to them you respect the decision.”