An opposition frontbencher says Labor having a conscience vote on same-sex marriage is “a bit off” as the party prepares to debate whether to force parliamentry members to vote in favour of it.
The opposition’s health spokeswoman, Catherine King, who voted in favour of same-sex marriage in 2012 and remains a supporter, said while it was very likely same-sex marriage would be legalised in the future, the debate Labor is having could be a distraction.
“I think it is an area that does seem a bit off to me. It is a bit of an anomaly that there is a conscience vote on this issue,” she said on ABC’s Insiders on Sunday morning.
“I support gay marriage and will vote for marriage equality if asked again in the parliament, and I think at some point we will have that in this country. But I am also a bit worried that this idea about not having a conscience vote might distract from the overall issue. It is potentially picking a fight we may not need to have.”
Labor’s party platform supports same-sex marriage but, unlike on most other issues, the party does not force its members to vote according to the platform in parliament.
That could change at the national conference in July where the party is set to debate whether to tie members to the policy.
When asked if members would cross the floor if the party tried to make them vote in favour, King responded: “I think that is understood. You are always trying to be respectful in these debates and I think it will be an important debate for national conference to have.”
The deputy opposition leader, Tanya Plibersek, who is also a member of the left faction, said it was obvious the issue was going to come up at conference.
“Look, we’ve got a number of very serious stories before us today and people’s lives under threat so I’m not going to go into a detailed conversation about ALP national conference, which is several weeks away,” she said referring to the imminent execution of Bali Nine pair, Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan, and the earthquake in Nepal.
“What I would say is that I’m on the record and have been for a long time as a supporter of marriage equality,” she said.
The party also looks set to debate a stronger stance on recognising Palestine, with the NSW right leading the push.
