Same-sex marriage: Liberals’ push to dump plebiscite looks set to fail

A MAJOR push by Liberal MPs to dump the party’s same-sex marriage plebiscite appears doomed to fail in what is expected to be a fierce party room showdown next week.

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

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A MAJOR push by Liberal MPs to dump the party’s same-sex marriage plebiscite appears doomed to fail in what is expected to be a fierce party room showdown next week.

But support for a postal plebiscite — which does not require the backing of the Parliament — is growing and even has the backing of some Victorians within the Turnbull Government after it was suggested by Queensland MPs as a way forward.

Moderate Liberals are still trying to manufacture a free vote to legalise same-sex marriage, infuriating conservatives in the party who warned it would be “the beginning of the end” of Malcolm Turnbull’s prime ministership if he could not rein them in.

A senior Liberal blasted the “suicide bombers” considering crossing the floor on the issue, saying they were trying to “blow the joint up” with their public comments this week.

The Herald Sun understands the moderate faction is unlikely to be able to force the party room to change its policy and scrap the plebiscite.

With the postal vote looming as a possible circuit-breaker, Cabinet minister Mathias Cormann said the government was considering “how we best can give effect” to its election promise of a public vote on same-sex marriage.

Mr Turnbull would not be drawn on a way forward, saying same-sex marriage was “of enormous interest to journalists” and only one voter had raised it with him during his trip to Western Australia this week.

“We made a commitment to give every Australian a say on this issue and that is our policy. It has not changed,” he said.

Mr Turnbull refused to comment on threats from conservatives to challenge sitting Liberal members if they crossed the floor to vote for same-sex marriage.

Victorian Tim Wilson is among those being targeted, with one colleague saying yesterday that if the Goldstein MP crossed the floor, it would be enough for his branch members “to try and get rid of him”.

The preselection threat ignited further tensions within the government, with other Liberals saying it would be “a shocking look” to knock off sitting members for voting for the right to get married.

Mr Wilson said the people making the “rash and ill-informed” threats should “consider their behaviour”.

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