MPs rally for free vote on same-sex marriage

PRIME Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s leadership is “terminal” if he cannot stop MPs from his own faction crossing the floor on same-sex marriage, senior conservative Liberals said.

A private members’ bill, developed by same sex marriage supporters within the government, will be sent to all MPs this week. Picture: AAP Image/Richard Wainwright

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PRIME Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s leadership is “terminal” if he cannot stop MPs from his own faction crossing the floor on same-sex marriage, senior conservative Liberals said.

As a group of moderate MPs called for a conscience vote on gay marriage as early as next week, senior Liberals told the Herald Sun they will move a spill motion on Mr Turnbull’s leadership if his government breaks its election promise and allows MPs to cross the floor in a vote on the issue.

The Right faction is lining up a ticket to replace Mr Turnbull, should this occur. Faction leaders said the most likely new leadership team would have Peter Dutton as leader, with Greg Hunt as deputy, rolling Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.

“It’s terminal. If Turnbull can’t control the moderates, what’s the point of his prime ministership?” one senior Liberal asked.

Queensland’s first openly gay MP Trevor Evans told The Australian that he was “not ruling anything out”. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen/The Australian

The issue is expected to be brought to a head in Canberra next week.

A private members’ bill, developed by same sex marriage supporters within the government, will be sent to all MPs this week.

It sets the scene for a Liberal party room showdown when Parliament returns from the winter break next Tuesday.

A government MP told the Herald Sun yesterday: “It has to be resolved within the next week because it’s starving the government of talking about legislation.”

The Herald Sun can reveal the government MPs behind the bill plan to raise the matter at their party room meeting, sparking what will likely be a fierce debate.

If the Liberal party room does not support allowing a free vote on same-sex marriage, the Herald Sun understands some MPs are ready to cross the floor to make it happen.

A government MP said same-sex marriage supporters within the Liberal Party would not support a “Labor stunt” as soon as Parliament returned to force a vote.

But the MP said that once it had been considered in the party room, that if standing orders could be suspended to force a vote in the House of Representatives, then “it’s game on”.

“That’ll be the end,” the MP said.

The Herald Sun understands the private members’ bill would include exemptions for celebrants who do not want to marry people of the same sex.

It comes after a key group of same-sex marriage supporters went public yesterday in a unified effort to bring on a free vote.

Queensland’s first openly gay MP Trevor Evans told The Australian that he was “not ruling anything out”.

“There is a still a number of ways to achieve reform,’’ Mr Evans said.

“But I think the quickest and most likely course now is to allow politicians to have a free vote … and I support that.

“I am talking with colleagues, quite a number of colleagues, about different options that sit in front of us at the moment.’’

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Picture: AAP Image/Richard Wainwright

Victorian MP Tim Wilson said he was tormented every day by the challenge of legalising same-sex marriage.

“When it comes down to it, it’s in the best interests of the country for this issue to be resolved,” he told Sky News.

“I always said politely that the plebiscite wasn’t my first preference for a way to deal with this issue.”

Senator Dean Smith, who has worked on developing the private members’ bill, said it would be “political suicide” to hand Labor “a massive political cudgel by allowing the question of marriage equality to remain unresolved and fester over the next two years”.

Victorian MP Jason Wood also revealed yesterday that if MPs were able to bring on a conscience vote, he would vote for same-sex marriage.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was asked yesterday if he could stop backbenchers from crossing the floor on same-sex marriage.

“In our party, backbenchers have always had the right to cross the floor,” he said.

“In the Labor Party, you get expelled for doing that. It’s always been a fundamental principle in the Liberal Party and indeed, the National Party. So it’s a very different political culture to the very authoritarian Labor Party.”

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