Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Families and Payments) Share this | Hansard source

It is a very important opportunity to be able to contribute to the debate on the Plebiscite (Same-Sex Marriage) Bill 2016, and I come to the dispatch box with a very different view to the Deputy Prime Minister. I am a very long-time supporter of marriage equality in Australia. I voted in favour of marriage equality when the matter was debated in the parliament in 2012 and I certainly hope at some point in the future I will be able to vote on such a bill in the parliament, so that we will see marriage equality.

I remember during earlier debates on this issue receiving a very moving email from a local constituent of mine, Tiffany Tullberg. She wrote:

I may or may not want to marry a partner in the future but that doesn't mean I should be denied the option of marrying the one I love.

To me, these words really sum up the desire of LGBTI Australians for marriage equality. Just recently I received a letter from a young girl, her name is Samantha and she is a student at Ivanhoe East Primary School. She wrote:

It is unfair that gay people can't get married at all in Australia yet man and woman couples can get married at any time of the day.

Samantha says:

Imagine if someone in your family were gay or lesbian and they couldn't get married.

I think that is a statement that we all need to reflect on as we debate this bill. It is long past time for us to legalise gay marriage in Australia. That is why Labor went to the last election promising to legislate for marriage equality within 100 days.

Since the election—as the debate has continued about whether there will be a parliamentary vote or a plebiscite and which is the best mechanism for achieving marriage equality in this country—like everyone, I am sure, in this parliament I have been contacted by many, many people, some in my electorate but also by many people right round the country. It is the case, certainly, in my electorate that a lot of people do want to see marriage equality. Equally, I have had a number of families, particularly mothers and fathers, come to me to say that they are deeply worried about a plebiscite. They do not take the view that the Deputy Prime Minister has just shared with us. These mothers and fathers are worried that a plebiscite would unleash hatred against gay and lesbian Australians and their families. It has been particularly emphasised to me that the impact on young people and on children would be very serious. It is especially the case that people are worried about the mental health of many young people in the LGBTI community, who are still realising their identity. People are worried about the mental health of young people who are yet to come out to their family or yet to come out to their friends.

I recall one constituent, in particular, coming to see me in my office. She is in a loving relationship with her partner, also a woman, and a mother of two beautiful children. She loves her partner deeply and they love their children very much. One day they do want the right to express their love and commitment to one another in the same way that other Australians can choose to do it, and that is through marriage, but she made very clear to me that she is prepared to wait. She would rather wait for marriage equality delivered through a vote in the parliament than have a plebiscite, which she believes, as many others do, would be dangerous and divisive.

Another very influential person who has put the argument very plainly is, of course, Justice Michael Kirby. He made the case that the plebiscite is in itself a discriminatory step driven by hostility. This has been a very important argument for me. We know that other human rights are not dealt with in this way. Michael Kirby has set that out in great detail, and I want to particularly acknowledge the way in which he has, I think, assisted all of us in thinking about the importance of this very significant issue that is before us.

We know that for some in the coalition the whole idea of a plebiscite on same-sex marriage is a way of stalling and trying to defeat progress on marriage equality. I think many of those people hope that this will end in marriage equality being at least held up, if not opposed. I want say to those opposite that one of the great concerns I have is that the plebiscite would set a dangerous precedent. I do not think we want to have a precedent that says the best way to make sure people's basic rights, especially those of minority groups in our society, are pursued is to have a popular vote. We have never, in the history of our country, had a plebiscite to determine whether we should legislate the basic rights of a particular group of Australians. We are members of parliament in a representative democracy and we have been elected to this place to make decisions about the future of this country. That is why we are here. I do not think we can call ourselves leaders if we shirk responsibility for making these very significant decisions and spend such a large amount of money, anything upwards of $160 million, on what effectively is an opinion poll.

Of course, after the plebiscite there will still need to be a vote in the parliament. We will still need to come in and make our voices heard on this issue. We have heard members of both the Liberal and National parties indicate that they may not vote in favour of marriage equality even if it is supported by a majority of voters. So it is not surprising that people are saying: 'What's the point? What is this really all about?' I think that is why many, many Australians have now come to the view that it really is time for us to address this issue in the parliament and get it done.

The Deputy Prime Minister talked about other countries in the world. I want to remind him that in fact the people of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, Spain, Netherlands, Denmark, Brazil, Argentina—all of these countries—have worked together to achieve marriage equality. We are by no means at the front of this change. I accept that there are people of faith, good and genuine people, who do not want to change the Marriage Act and I do respect their views. But one thing we do not want to see is the respectful views of those people being drowned out by the voices of hate. We have to face up to the fact that that is already happening in our community, and I for one do not want to see that continue. I am concerned that LGBTI Australians will be subjected to a campaign of prejudice that demeans their relationships and attacks their families. Their families are as loved as any family in this place.

I think that marriage equality will certainly come sooner than the Deputy Prime Minister expects and I hope it will be very soon. When it does, it will be a great day for Australia. It is up to us as members of parliament to do the right thing: to show leadership, to take seriously our responsibility to help improve the lives of LGBTI Australians, and to afford LGBTI Australians the same right to love and marriage as anybody else. A plebiscite will not do that; a vote in this parliament to amend the Marriage Act will.

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