Minister for Defence Christopher Pyne has gone back to toeing the party line – and the Coalition’s plan for a plebiscite on same-sex marriage – after a leaked tape revealed him saying the government must deliver marriage equality “before too long”.
The leaked audio was of Pyne talking to members of the Liberal Party while out at a bar on Friday night.
He was recorded reportedly saying same-sex marriage will be made legal “sooner than everyone thinks”. And that “one of those things that we’ve got to deliver before too long is marriage equality in this country”.
This sounds like good news, right?
Problem is, the claim has since been rejected by fellow party members who weren’t at the bar; the audio has led to rumours of division within the Liberal Party; and the whole thing has re-ignited the debate around same-sex marriage and the merits danger of a referendum on the issue.
Worst of all, Pyne is now carefully treading the party line. Away from talk of the “government delivering” and back to talk of a plebiscite.
— ABC Q&A (@QandA) June 26, 2017
Top Comments
The crappiest part of this whole thing is someone cannot sound out something amongst a group of peers without someone taping and releasing it. Privacy should not be something only private people are entitled to. Without a range of views and discussions, even contentious ones, without fear of said views and discussions being revealed is a titch scary.
The plebiscite would be enormously expensive and ultimately it would still be up to a parliamentary vote. Why waste the money on something that is non binding anyway?.. Just vote already, Parliament.. We pay you to do things like this. How about earning those pensions!?