George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Wong, you have identified in the questions you have put to me three issues—climate change policy, whether Australia should be a republic and marriage equality—over which public discussion has developed and changed over years. In all three cases the nature of the issue has changed over the course of years. Senator Wong, everybody in this chamber and everybody who may be listening to this broadcast knows that. For example, there are people who today believe in a republic who used to be opponents of a republic; there are people who today have a view of climate change policy which is different from the view they may have had some years ago, and the same in relation to same-sex marriage. The fact is that over the course of years many people's views have changed on the way these issues ought to be dealt with.