Culture

Daniel Andrews Is Urging The PM To Bin The Marriage Equality Plebiscite As The Debate Gears Up

"This plebiscite will hurt people."

by Meg Watson  25 July 2016

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With Malcolm Turnbull’s government back in power and the PM eager to please the conservative voters which got him there, the promised plebiscite on Australian marriage equality is officially on its way. And, over the past few weeks we’ve seen disturbing details emerge about exactly how it will operate.

At the end of last month, Malcolm Turnbull confirmed that the results of the public vote on the issue would not be binding. This means that, despite the whole process costing an estimated $160 million and jeopardising the mental health of a great number of Australians, it would effectively have no direct influence on the final decision from MPs. It’s a fact made extra concerning when considering how many Liberal MPs have made clear that they’d rather gently nestle their face into a hot sandwich press than fall in line with public favour (NB: not a direct quote, but it’s certainly the gist).

This also comes in the wake of concerning efforts from the Australian Christian Lobby, who are advocating in favour of temporarily scrapping anti-discrimination laws so they can speak their mind during the campaign. Though that possibility has just been dismissed by the Human Rights Commission, it’s nonetheless sobering news for those who thought the gronkdom of Australian political debate had mostly subsided with the federal election.

In full acknowledgement of this, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has just issued a plea to the Prime Minister urging him to call the whole thing off before it begins. The letter shared on social media this morning criticises the expense and futility of the vote as well as the potential harm this would do to the LGBTIQA communities. It’s also cheekily addressed to “Malcolm” because, at this point, Andrews has built an entire career off calling the PM on his shit.

“I write about your plan to hold a national plebiscite on marriage equality — a harmful public vote on whether or not a group of Australians should be considered equal under the law,” the letter reads. “This plebiscite will hurt people. It will legitimise a hateful debate which will subject LGBTI Australians to publicly funded slurs and denigration, further alienating a proud community who have fought so hard against prejudice for so long.”

“Hundreds of thousands of Australians are currently discriminated against under Australian law. To them and their families, this plebiscite is not an opportunity for reform, but an opportunity for rejection.”

“In Victoria, equality is not negotiable,” he continued. “On behalf of my state, I urge you to accept there is no need for a costly and divisive plebiscite and agree to produce a bipartisan Bill to amend the Marriage Act within the next 100 days … After a botched referendum in 1999, you accused a conservative Prime Minister of breaking the nation’s heart. If you fumble at this crucial moment, history will only remember you for the same thing.”

Andrews is far from being the first person to say this. Earlier this year, 40 religious leaders wrote to the Prime Minister asking that he reconsider the plebiscite in light of its futility, dangers and flaws. The most recent polling shows that the majority of Australians don’t support it either. A Galaxy survey of 1,000 people found that just 48 percent of the public are in favour of holding the vote, but that figure drops to 35 and 25 when considering the non-binding nature of the vote and the cost respectively.

Despite all this, Senator George Brandis remained positive about the move on Insiders yesterday. “The only way that in this parliament this issue can be progressed is through a plebiscite,” he said.

Seems like he could learn a thing or two from LGBTIQA Australians offering other alternatives: