Tony Abbott’s promised debate on a conscience vote on same-sex marriage could be undertaken in the Liberal-National joint party room, making any vote more likely to fail and thereby blocking the only chance of marriage reform in this parliament.
Usually, votes are taken in the separate Liberal and National party rooms, but it is understood the vote could be taken in the joint party room, though this may depend on where the issue is initially raised.
A vote in the joint party room on such an issue is very rare.
Given the higher proportion of National party MPs opposed to same-sex marriage, a conscience vote would have more chance of success in a Liberal party room vote and less chance of success in any joint party room vote.
The deputy Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce, who has crossed the floor to vote against his party position 28 times, indicated the Nationals would not be supporting a conscience vote on the issue.
Joyce, an opponent of same-sex marriage reform, described the National party as the “freest” party in parliament.
“We truly believe in the liberty of the individual, it’s not unusual in the National party for people to so-called ‘cross the floor’,” he said.
But asked whether the National party would allow a conscience vote given those beliefs, Joyce told the ABC: “Once it becomes a conscience issue, it remains a conscience issue.
“Are we going to allow votes to redefine marriage and then are we going to have another conscience vote to redefine it again. Where does it stop?”
However his colleague Victorian National MP Darren Chester has spoken out in favour of both a conscience vote and marriage reform, saying his electorate of Gippsland was moving on the issue.
“It should be conscience vote because a local member is best placed to assess the view in the electorate, balance it out with his or her own view and vote accordingly,” Chester told Guardian Australia.
“It is hard to understand why an inner-city Liberal MP is required to vote the same way as an MP in outer regional areas, where the electorate may be more conservative on marriage.”
Malcolm Turnbull has been among a group of Liberal MPs who support marriage reform but who have been compelled to vote against it due to Liberal party policy which does not support a conscience vote on the issue.
Before the 2013 election, the prime minister Tony Abbott said: “our position, my position, going into the next election is that ... this will be a matter for the post-election party room. I’m not trying to say that the party is committed forever and a day to the current position.”
Also in 2013, the then manager of opposition business Christopher Pyne said: “In the next parliament we haven’t got a clear policy on a conscience vote. The party room will get to decide that, we might well end up with some recognition of same-sex couples.”
Joyce has previously been more open to a conscience vote on the issue. In 2011, he said the National party did not have a problem with a conscience vote on same sex marriage.
“There is always the option to cross the floor, unlike in the Labor party. If there is a whole Coalition push for a conscience vote there won’t be a problem from us. It is important to give people their say,’’ Joyce said in 2011, at a time when Abbott, Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard did not support marriage reform.
But on Wednesday, Joyce said the National party policy remained in support of traditional marriage.
“One of the reasons is … we have an open and honest discussion, everybody is allowed to express their views and no one is persecuted or derided because they have a different view and if they want to cross the floor, they cross the floor,” Joyce said.
“It’s not a big issue in the National party, not like it is in other parties. But our position is we support a traditional view of marriage.”
Rodney Croome of Australian Marriage Equality said he was disappointed that Joyce had “retreated from his formerly relaxed stance” on a conscience vote on marriage reform.
Croome cited polling from four regional and rural Coalition seats, including two Nationals-held seats, which found between 63% and 69% of respondents supported a free vote.
“It’s disappointing Barnaby Joyce has retreated from his formerly more relaxed stance on a conscience vote, particularly given Tony Abbott’s election promise there would be a Coalition party room debate on one,” said Croome.
“A conscience vote is necessary to allow Cabinet members to vote with impunity for marriage equality, and their votes could make the difference if the outcome is tight.
“A binding vote on marriage equality is effectively a rigged vote against it.”
