Members of the Liberal party have discussed same-sex marriage after one of its outspoken proponents, Warren Entsch, raised the issue at a party room meeting on Tuesday, but the question of a free vote was reportedly deferred.
Marriage equality campaigners have intensified their efforts in this parliamentary sitting fortnight, attempting to marshal support around the hashtag #WeCanDoThis ahead of the introduction of a cross-party bill.
Entsch is spearheading those efforts. Liberal party moderates are pushing to be granted the right to vote in line with their conscience, rather than being bound to follow party policy and oppose same-sex marriage.
The prime minister, Tony Abbott, and conservatives in the party firmly oppose same-sex marriage and have previously played down the prospect of the private member’s bill even coming to a vote in parliament.
Terri Butler, the Labor co-sponsor of the bill, indicated the bill was expected to go to the tabling office on Tuesday, paving the way for it be introduced to the House of Representatives next week. The Liberal party-dominated selection committee will have to consider the timing.
Abbott’s sister, Christine Forster, praised Entsch for taking the issue to the Liberal party room.
Kudos to Warren Entsch MP for taking #marriageequality to the @LiberalAus party room. It's a discussion that has to be had #WeCanDoThis
— Christine Forster (@resourcefultype) August 11, 2015
Sky News reported that there was a “level of debate” in the Liberal party room after Entsch raised the issue, but the “discussion proper” had been referred to a later meeting.
The Australian Financial Review reported that the leak of the push while the party room meeting was under way “caused angry scenes inside the party room as to who was leaking, according to further leaks”.
Comment is being sought from Entsch and others who attended the meeting.
Butler said the bill would have the greatest chance of success if Liberal and National MPs and senators were allowed a free vote.
“I think we won’t really know the real support for equal marriage in the parliament until people are given that opportunity to cast a free vote,” the Labor MP said.
Several Liberals were asked about same-sex marriage on their way into Parliament House on Tuesday morning.
The finance minister, Mathias Cormann, said granting a free vote would, in effect, require the party to scrap its pre-existing policy and decide to have no unified position.
“For there to be a free vote there would have to be a decision not to have a policy,” he said. “The Coalition has had a very longstanding policy position in support of the current definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman.”
The Liberal backbencher Andrew Laming told reporters he was a strong supporter of a free vote but was not clear about a timeframe.
