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Tony Abbott has seemingly reversed his position on marriage equality since the postal survey results were announced yesterday.

The prominent No campaigner’s own electorate of Warringah voted overwhelmingly for marriage equality, with a 75 per cent Yes result.


After urging anti–LGBTI campaigners to prepare to keep fighting against equality just days ago and claiming that same-sex marriage would “trash our country’s history”, Abbott is now claiming credit for facilitating marriage equality, The New Daily has reported.

In a 2GB radio interview yesterday, he mentioned three times that the survey had been “his idea”.

“I put this process in place. I have, in a sense, facilitated the change,” he said.

In a sudden departure from his past rhetoric about marriage equality, Abbott said he wanted to see the legislation passed as soon as possible.

“I certainly intend to facilitate the passage of a bill,” he said.

The former Prime Minister congratulated the Yes campaign on the “big win” and said it was a “big day” for marriage equality supporters.

He had previously called the Yes campaign “a war on our way of life”.

Yesterday’s marriage survey results showed that Abbott was the only MP in the top 10 Yes-voting electorates to have campaigned against the majority view of his own constituents.

Warringah returned the fourth-highest Yes vote in New South Wales.

“I think it is good that everyone had a say,” said Abbott.

“I think the result should now be respected by the community and by the parliament.”