Bill Shorten says same-sex marriage would be legalised if the PM gave Liberal party members a free vote on the issue

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Bill Shorten has urged the Turnbull government to drop the $160m plebiscite on marriage equality and allow members to vote on the issue in parliament, predicting it would pass if the Liberal party allowed a conscience vote.



Christine Forster asks Malcolm Turnbull to avoid same-sex marriage plebiscite Read more

On the eve of the start of the parliamentary year, Shorten said the only people who did not want marriage equality were Tony Abbott and “more disappointingly now, Malcolm Turnbull”.



“What we want on marriage equality is the old Malcolm Turnbull, not the new Malcolm Turnbull.”



Speaking at the Melbourne’s Midsumma Pride festival, Shorten estimated that 95% of Labor MPs would vote for marriage equality and many Liberal MPs.



“I believe that if legislation was presented this week in parliament, the numbers would be there if there is a conscience vote in the Liberal party,” Shorten said.



“Certainly when you talk to Liberal party MPs privately without the Tony Abbott heavies standing around them, I believe there’s a working majority of Liberal and Labor, Green and non-aligned MPs, who would support marriage equality.”



Malcolm Turnbull – who personally supports marriage equality – has committed to maintain Tony Abbott’s plans for a plebiscite. however, conservative backbenchers including Cory Bernardi and Eric Abetz, have said they would not be bound by the result.



But Labor was suffering from its own infighting after an announcement to fully fund the Gonski education reforms – estimated to cost $37.3bn over 10 years.



The plan drew criticism from the South Australian Labor premier, Jay Weatherill, after he questioned whether his federal counterparts had a “coherent” policy to fund the reforms.



On Sunday Labor’s finance spokesman, Tony Burke, hit back, saying Labor’s plans were fully funded and Weatherill’s comments were “demonstrably wrong” and “drowning in ignorance”.

“Sometimes there will be people like Mathias Cormann who will make up information about you that is untrue,” Burke told Sky News. “Sometimes there will be people from your own side that will get something wrong.

“It is so demonstrably clear, that we have done what very few oppositions have done and have all the improvements to the budget bottom line laid out well in advance of any announcement.”

Marriage equality, education and tax reform are expected to dominate question time as parliamentarians head back to Canberra on Sunday for the first sitting week of the year.

The prime minister returned to the newly renovated Lodge in Canberra on Sunday.

Cabinet meets at 11am Monday and the Nationals party room will meet later in the afternoon.

The parliament will resume business from Tuesday to Thursday. The Coalition party room will meet on Tuesday morning with a return to the fold of former Liberal minister Ian Macfarlane who attempted to defect to the Nationals in December. Labor will also meet on Tuesday morning.

Turnbull has yet to announce a cabinet reshuffle, which became necessary after the government lost two ministers in December last year. Cities minister Jamie Briggs was forced to resign following an incident with a public servant in a late night bar in Hong Kong while special minister of state Mal Brough stood aside pending a police investigation relating to the James Ashby affair.



Turnbull put the required ministerial reshuffle on hold over the Christmas break as he was awaiting a decision by his deputy, National party leader Warren Truss, on his expected resignation.

Same-sex marriage: Turnbull pushes on with Abbott's plebiscite, and it's still daft Read more

In the first week of January, the Nationals deputy leader and agriculture minister, Barnaby Joyce, indicated he was “available” for the position. Assistant infrastructure minister Michael McCormack also left open the possibility of running as leader, though all indications are that Joyce has the majority support.



But Truss has said he would not be pressured into making a decision on “whether I’m going to go on forever or whether one day I’ll retire”.



As a result, the Turnbull government goes into the first parliamentary sitting week in an election year with ministers unsure of their positions.

