28th April, 2015
The Australian Christian Lobby has urged the Labor Party to allow a free vote on the issue of same-sex marriage, saying that no MP should be forced to vote to define it.
In a statement issued yesterday, the ACL called on party members to "keep faith" with the stand Opposition Leader Bill Shorten made in support of a free vote at the ACL’s conference last October.
Lyle Shelton, managing director of the ACL, said Mr Shorten had made it "very clear" to the conference that Labor MPs should not be forced to define marriage.
Acting Labor Leader Tanya Plibersek’s push to make Labor MPs vote in favor of same-sex marriage as a bloc has sparked resistance from some MPs with frontbencher Joel Fitzgibbon saying yesterday that he would "stand and fight" for the fight of caucus members to vote "in the manner they see fit". One unnamed MP has reportedly said they would cross the floor if forced to support a vote on same-sex marriage.
Ms Plibersek told ABC’s AM program yesterday that MPs should be compelled to vote for same-sex marriage because it was an issue about "legal equality" and not "life or death" as were issues like euthanasia or abortion on which the Labor party allows its MPs to make a conscience vote.
Mr Shelton said redefining marriage "is a controversial and divisive issue, even within the Labor Party".
"Forcing Labor MPs to vote as a bloc on this issue would alienate a number of Labor MPs from their socially conservative electorates, especially in outer metropolitan electorates," he said. "No MP should be forced to vote to define marriage. Redefining marriage would redefine family. And same-sex parenting by definition means removing a child from either its mother or father."
– DAVID ADAMS
