In a statement on Tuesday, LGBTI spokesperson Janet Rice called on Labor leader Bill Shorten to "stop playing politics with the lives of LGBTI Australians" and finally announce his party's opposition to the plebiscite.

"Mr Shorten says he wants to 'get on with it', but we’ve been waiting for weeks to find out his party’s position on a marriage equality plebiscite," Rice said.



The first line of the statement reads "'Why don’t we just get on with it,' asks man who’s dragged out the plebiscite debate for three weeks".

Last month, Brandis accused the opposition of doing precisely the same thing – but for the exact opposite reason.

Instead, he said Labor should stop playing politics and *support* the plebiscite.

"If Mr Shorten could stop playing politics with the lives of gay people and put the interests of a cause he claims to believe in first, then he would support the plebiscite bill," Brandis told the parliament in mid-September.

Shorten and deputy leader Tanya Plibersek held more talks with LGBTI groups about the plebiscite today, appearing at a press conference alongside eminent mental health advocate professor Patrick McGorry as he called for the government to ditch the proposal.

