Although personally against equal marriage rights, former Australian prime minister says parliament should respect the people’s decision

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

The former prime minister Tony Abbott says he will support the result of a plebiscite on same-sex marriage.

Fresh from addressing a conservative US lobby group, Abbott said parliament should respect the people’s decision, whatever it is.

Although personally against same-sex marriage, he would support the outcome, he told Sky News on Saturday.

Same-sex marriage plebiscite ‘kicked issue into long grass’, boasts Christian lobby Read more

But advocates for change are against an “expensive” plebiscite, saying the recent debate about whether MPs will respect the outcome has brought “simmering tensions” to the surface.

Some conservative MPs and senators, including the dumped cabinet minister Eric Abetz, have flagged their right to a conscience vote in parliament, potentially ignoring the will of voters.

“Given that mess, surely the easiest thing to do is bring it back to parliament, have a vote, get it done and move on,” the Australian Marriage Equality national director, Rodney Croome, told ABC TV.

“My advice to Malcolm Turnbull is if you pull off the band-aid now, most people would be pleased with that.

“It will be over in a month and you can move on to the election without this being a distraction.”

But the Australian Christian Lobby, which argues against changing traditional marriage, says the $160 million price tag of the promised plebiscite is reasonable to settle “a long running campaign” by activists.

“They keep claiming overwhelming support yet don’t want to take the issue to the people. This doesn’t make sense,” the ACL managing director, Lyle Shelton, said in a statement.

In his address to the Alliance Defending Freedom, Abbott said he believed it would be easier for Australians who felt strongly about the issue to accept a decision if it were made by the people.

If the government is returned at the next election, MPs who support same-sex marriage will be asked to finalise a bill, which will then be put to the people at a plebiscite.

Eric Abetz: Coalition MPs will not be bound by plebiscite on marriage equality Read more

“This is the best way to decide something that’s so important but so personal,” he said.

“It’s to let the people decide so that the decision, whichever way it goes, will have their authority.”

His successor, Malcolm Turnbull, said on Friday that if the majority of people voting in a plebiscite voted in favour of it, same-sex marriage would be legalised.



Meanwhile, Bill Shorten, the opposition leader, said in Brisbane: “Tony Abbott dreams up a taxpayer-funded plebiscite to kick the issue of marriage equality into the long grass of the next few years. Malcolm Turnbull didn’t agree with that when he wasn’t leader of the Liberal party. We should have a conscience vote in parliament.”

The Australian Marriage Equality national director, Rodney Croome, told the ABC: “There is no need for a plebiscite as long as Coalition members are given the right to a free vote. A large number of MPs and senators have already declared their support and a handful of MPs have told us privately or local campaigners in their electorate privately that they will vote for it but haven’t yet declared.

“When you put those two groups together they are a majority in both houses … why wait, why go to an expensive plebiscite, let’s just get it done. It will cost at least $160 million, they’re figures from the Australian electoral commission.

“It will be quite divisive through the community and, of course, it will mean that the issue continues to be a live issue right up to the election and beyond when they want to focus on issues like national security and the economy.”