Warren Entsch: Gay and lesbian people deserve to be married just like every other Australian
DENYING any Australian equal status and the same level of dignity is completely un-Australian, writes Warren Entsch. This is his full statement.
Opinion
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IN 2004, when the Parliament made the decision to amend the Marriage Act to exclude gay and lesbian Australians, I stood and told the Liberal Party Room that I didn’t understand why we needed to do this.
Hadn’t gay and lesbian Australians been through enough? Why did we have to kick them on their way out the door? To me it didn’t make sense. Denying any Australian equal status and the same level of dignity is in my mind completely un-Australian.
When the discussion from the Party Room hit the media, I was labelled in one article as a “fiercely heterosexual, Far North Queensland, crocodile-farming, bull-catching Liberal”. The question was asked; how could I be an active supporter of gay rights?
The response from those early articles was overwhelming — not so much from the gay community but rather the family and friends of gay Australians. They pointed out that if someone of my background was prepared to support their gay relative or friend, they wanted to come out in support too. I realised at that time the strength of my advocacy.
A number of gay activists then reached out to me highlighting a range of discriminations against same-sex couples that I had been completely unaware of, particularly in legal and financial areas. I began a campaign to have these matters addressed, highlighting amendments that were needed and advocating on both sides of politics for change. I had great satisfaction in seeing these introduced by the new Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in 2007 and supported by the then-Opposition leader Brendan Nelson.
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Why I support marriage equality is really quite simple. I just can’t understand how one section of the Australian community can be treated any differently to another. I very much support the view that those in the gay community seeking wedlock are strengthening the institution of marriage. Having been married a few times — and getting my fingers burnt along the way — who am I to judge the relationship of other Australians who are wanting to express their love and commitment to each other in any way that they deem appropriate?
The fact that I’ve committed more than once shows that I’m a strong supporter of the institution of marriage. Life is sometimes very hard, and if you are fortunate enough to find a life’s partner, someone you can love and cherish, and share all the good and the not-so-good times, in my mind that’s fantastic.
For much of the next decade I continued my advocacy, including establishing the world’s first Parliamentary Friendship Group for the LGBTIQ community. Through that forum we have continued to focus on a range of issues that were not addressed in the 2007 legislation.
In 2015, former prime minister Tony Abbott made a statement in the Parliament, when rejecting a bill proposed by the leader of the Opposition, where he said that: “If our parliament were to take a big decision on a matter such as this, I want it to be owned by the Parliament and not by any particular party”.
In accordance with that view I prepared a bill that was signed off by eight members from across the entire political spectrum — government, Labor, independent and Greens. I sought approval to raise the matter in the Party Room and received this from the then-Prime Minister. I was profoundly disappointed when he then called a snap joint party room meeting. I was led to believe that the outcome would be a free vote but at the end of a six-hour discussion, the Prime Minister decided the best course of action was a plebiscite.
Well, I did my best to get the plebiscite through, honouring our election commitment, but unfortunately there were a number of issues highlighted by both sides of politics that saw the plebiscite bill defeated in the Senate. Be under no illusion, irrespective of what you call it, any form of plebiscite is dead, cremated and cannot be resurrected. In my view, the only way to resolve this issue once and for all is with a vote in the Parliament.
There are 24 million people in this country and they expect us politicians to do our job. The public expects us to be able to walk and chew gum, let’s deliver what we are expected to do. German Chancellor Angela Merkel showed how easy it was to deliver marriage equality; the sky didn’t fall in and the world kept turning. Marriage equality will take from no one but will make our nation a kinder and fairer place to live.
The issue is not going away until we have a vote and nor should it. A clear majority of Australians back this because they believe in a fair go. They are sick of politicians playing games. This is about real people and real lives. Delaying equality for Australians is simply not good enough.
This can be a unifying moment for our country where we allow all Australians, their families and friends to celebrate happiness and commitment. At the end of the day life is too short. Let’s vote and get on with it.
Warren Entsch is the federal member for Leichhardt in Queensland.
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