Senator David Leyonhjelm is the latest in a long line of same-sex marriage lobbyists who can’t take no for an answer.

The libertarian cross bencher was planning to introduce legislation to redefine the institution of marriage tomorrow.

This would be at least the fifth time in five years this issue has been before Federal parliament, and the answer is always the same. No.

Doesn’t no means no? Why is it so hard to understand the emphatic 98-42 vote in the House of Representatives and 48-12 vote in the Senate last time legislation came up, just two and a half years ago.

Since parliamentarians are invariably more progressive on social issues than the electorate, that is a more than fair indication of where Australia stands.

So why keep pushing the barrow for certain defeat?

Leyonhjelm says he is trying to “induce” the Coalition to have a conscience vote on his legislation, which he assumes would guarantee its passage.

A conscience vote is just code for open season on those courageous MPs who choose to uphold traditional marriage. The full vicious armoury of the “marriage equality” lobby will be employed to smear and intimidate those who disagree, threaten pre-selections and shut down debate.

In any case, the party room did not even discuss a conscience vote yesterday, in this last parliamentary session before the budget.

So a disappointed Leyonhjelm is considering deferring his bill for a “couple of months”.

But if he really wants to reflect community sentiment, he should push for a referendum instead. Let the public decide, and resolve the issue once and for all.

Incidentally, the good senator is not married but has been in a defacto relationship with a woman for 30 years.

“I don’t need a piece of paper from the government to tell me I’m married,” he says. Right.