Special Newspoll: ‘Yes’ vote losing ground in divisive marriage equality fight

FORMER prime minister Bob Hawke and his wife Blanche d’Alpuget have revealed how they voted, as a new poll shows support for gay marriage has dipped.

FORMER Australian prime minister Bob Hawke and his wife Blanche d’Alpuget have revealed they will be backing the Yes campaign in the postal survey on gay marriage.

Mr Hawke is the latest high profile Australian to back the Yes campaign, which received a blow today with a new poll showing support for gay marriage among voters has taken a dive.

The Equality Campaign released the video of Mr Hawke and his wife filling out their ballot, saying like millions of Australians the couple just wanted to “get this done”.

“Our campaign is delighted to have the support of one of the greatest Australian Prime Ministers because he is a man who has always believed in a fair go and this is simply what our campaign is about,” campaign spokesman Alex Greenwich said.

Former Prime Minister Bob Hawke and his partner, author Blanche d'Alpuget, have gone public with their support for same-sex marriage.

“Marriage equality is a straightforward question of fairness and equality.”

Meanwhile, opponents of same-sex marriage have welcomed the results of a Newspoll, taken exclusively for The Australian, showing support for changing the Marriage Act has dropped from 63 to 57 per cent over the past month.

Support for the No campaign has risen from 30 to 34 per cent at the same time.

Coalition for Marriage spokeswoman Monica Doumit said the poll shows Australians were hearing the message about the consequences of redefining marriage.

“The poll also shows that Australians are not responding to the elites in the ‘yes’ campaign telling them what to think or how to vote, and are becoming weary of the bullying and intimidation tactics used by the ‘yes’ campaign,” she told News Corp Australia.

Support for marriage equality has slipped in the polls. Picture: AFP/Saeed Khan

Ms Doumit said the No campaign would continue its lobbying and try to reach every Australian possible over the next month and a half.

“The millions and millions of Australians that we have spoken to through our door knocking, online and with our ads are sending a message back loud and clear — ‘we are voting no,” she said.

“Our efforts moving forward will focus on engaging with every voter possible and encouraging them to vote and to vote no.

“We refuse to be bullied into silence at any point.”

The special Newspoll, conducted exclusively for The Australian, ­reveals a significant fall in support for same-sex marriage among ­Coalition voters, slipping from 55 to 47 per cent after millions of households received their voting papers.

The poll revealed that 15 per cent of voters have ­already cast their ballots while another 67 per cent say they will “definitely” vote and 7 per cent will “probably” do so by the deadline of November 7.

Just 20 people turned up to an anti-Marriage Equality rally in Sydney. Picture: Supplied

Still, with millions of Australians yet to vote, the outcome could be heavily influenced by advertising tactics on either side amid an argument over the Yes campaign’s decision to send a text message to people last Saturday without their approval.

Victorian state MP Rachel Carling-Jenkins, a member of the Australian Conservatives, said the text message was “invasive” and “deceptive” but Equality Campaign leader Alex Greenwich, a member of the Liberal Party, said his side would use “every resource available” to get people to vote Yes.

Public support for “No” voters is low. Picture: Brook Mitchell/Getty Images

Mr Greenwich also urged same-sex marriage supporters not to get distracted by those who “throw red herrings”. Both sides of the marriage debate ramped up their campaigning over the weekend with rallies, door-knockings and text message among the mediums used.

Thousands rallied through Brisbane for the annual pride festival while “yes” campaigners doorknocked tens of thousands of homes across the nation. Meanwhile, a smattering of same-sex marriage opponents gathered in Sydney’s gay heartland while preparations were made for the Coalition for Marriage’s Victorian launch.

Melbourne campaigner Cella White — accused of falsely claiming her son was told he could wear a dress to Frankston High School — is expected to speak at the CFM event on Saturday night about the abuse she has received since appearing in the group’s anti-gay marriage ad.

Mr Greenwich, who is a NSW MP, urged supporters of the Yes campaign to focus on the task at hand.

“It is so important for the marriage equality campaign that we do not get distracted by the people who are always trying to throw red herrings,” he told AAP.

A text message being sent out by the Yes campaign has earned the ire of some Australians. Picture: Supplied

He said he was heartened by the feedback from same-sex marriage supporters involved in the doorknocking campaign and said there was strong support “across all demographics, all ages”.

The campaign also extended to SMS with a message urging people to “vote YES for a fairer Australia” and help make history.

On the other side of the debate, about 20 people turned out for a rally dubbed Straight Lives Matter rally in Sydney’s LGBTIQ heartland, Darlinghurst. Organised by a group of self-described patriots, one of the speakers urged people to push back against the “sick and vile homosexual agenda” in Australian schools and universities.

“No amount of surgical mutilation by some dodgy surgeon in the Philippines can make you a woman,” Toby Cooke said.

Australian Christian Lobby chief Lyle Shelton, and Keith Mills, the leader of Ireland’s unsuccessful No campaign, are expected to address the Coalition for Marriage in Melbourne.

CFM has this week been holding meetings across Australia to convince voters to reject a change to the legal definition of marriage.

The result of the voluntary postal survey on same-sex marriage is due on November 15.

It comes as support for Malcolm Turnbull is at its weakest in his home state while the government’s losing popularity outside of the capital cities, new analysis shows.

The Australian reports demographic analysis of recent Newspoll surveys shows the government’s support has weakened in every state since the election, with the least support for the prime minister in NSW.

Outside of major capital cities support for the government is slipping, as Labor makes big gains among country voters, men and people over the age of 50.

— with The Australian

Originally published as Special Newspoll: ‘Yes’ vote losing ground in divisive marriage equality fight