Bill Shorten says plebiscite a ‘taxpayer-funded platform for homophobia’ and leaves open option for private member’s bill on conscience vote

Bill Shorten has left open the option of bringing a private member’s bill to push for a conscience vote in parliament on marriage equality rather than the Coalition’s proposed plebiscite.

Labor MP Terri Butler, who has previously sponsored a cross-party bill to legislate marriage equality, said she would do whatever she could to avoid a divisive plebiscite.

The comments come after Australian Marriage Equality claimed that as a result of the 2 July election there is now a “clear majority” of 81 votes in the lower house in favour of same-sex marriage.

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The Turnbull government, which is on track to win 76 lower house seats, could thwart a private member’s bill in the lower house so that it could instead hold its promised plebiscite by the end of 2016.

Even key supporters of same-sex marriage in the Coalition – including MPs Warren Entsch, Trent Zimmerman and Tim Wilson – support a plebiscite.

But as recently as March Zimmerman promised to cross the floor and support a substantive bill on marriage equality.

Labor and the Greens could also attempt to combine with crossbenchers in the Senate to pass a bill in that house first, although the final makeup of the Senate is unknown.

Asked at a press conference on Monday whether Labor would block the same-sex marriage plebiscite enabling legislation, Shorten said: “Let’s see if we can’t have a conscience vote in the parliament first off.”

Shorten criticised the plebiscite, labelling it a “$160m opinion poll which the hard right of the Liberal party said they’re not going to be bound by anyway”.

He said the prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, had “given a leave pass to his cabinet colleagues” on not being bound by the plebiscite. Shorten wanted Turnbull to allow a parliamentary vote without a plebiscite, his position before becoming prime minister in September.

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Shorten has previously said Labor would not accept Turnbull’s “deal” to hold a plebiscite, but has stopped short of committing to block it.

Asked if Labor would push for a conscience vote, Shorten said: “Let’s see what we do when we get back to parliament.

“But I remain completely committed to the view that the quickest and easiest way to deal with the debate on marriage equality is to have a parliamentary vote.”

Butler, who sponsored a cross-party bill with Liberal MPs Entsch, Teresa Gambaro and others in 2013, said: “I will do whatever I can do to avoid a plebiscite. I think it’s a terrible idea.”

Butler said she would not telegraph Labor’s parliamentary strategy before the election results have even been finalised.

“I can say that I’ll be speaking with colleagues about what we can do to seek to avoid the plebiscite. My view hasn’t changed,” she said.

Despite supporting the bill in 2013, Entsch now supports a plebiscite and reiterated that support on Monday.

Wilson said: “As discussed with the good people of Goldstein, I will support a plebiscite.

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“A plebiscite is the way to get this issue resolved. Anyone who wants to see a change in the law should support a successful plebiscite.”

On Monday a spokesman for Zimmerman reiterated his position that he would have advocated a free parliamentary vote if he were present when the Liberal party room debated same-sex marriage in August but he now supports a plebiscite because that’s what the party room had decided and the policy taken to the election.

Before the election, Labor senator Penny Wong warned a plebiscite would lead to hate speech and Shorten described it at the party’s launch as a “a taxpayer-funded platform for homophobia”.