Same-sex marriage postal survey of 16 million Australians begins today
THE same-sex marriage postal survey begins today, as the Australian Bureau of Statistics sends out the first 600,000 copies to voters across the nation.
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THE same-sex marriage postal survey begins today as the Australian Bureau of Statistics sends out the first 600,000 forms to voters nationwide.
More than 16 million Australians will receive the survey in a staggered mailout between now and September 25.
It asks people to answer Yes or No to one question: “Should the law be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry?”
Voters are asked to use a dark pen to mark their answer and return it in an enclosed reply-paid envelope, to be counted by October 27. No surveys will be accepted after November 7; the result will be announced on November 15.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull urged everyone to fill in the form and return it.
Even as mental health advocates were raising concerns about the impacts of the survey, Queensland senator Matt Canavan said people should “grow a spine” and “stop being delicate little flowers”.
Opposition mental health spokeswoman Julie Collins, pointing out that young LGBTI people were six times more likely to die from suicide, responded: “There is no room for any person to be given a licence to air hateful, ignorant or unsubstantiated views that may cause harm.
“This includes Senator Canavan,” she said.
Talks are continuing between the government and the Opposition over possible laws to protect against vilification in campaign material.
Shadow attorney-general Mark Dreyfus said it looked as though the government was prepared to agree to include a provision banning hate speech.
The ABS advises a return of the form “straight away”.
Warning against the inclusion of “correspondence, complaints or other communication”, it says: “Any extraneous material inserted in the envelope with the survey will be destroyed. This could also contaminate processing machinery or result in the survey also being destroyed and not processed.”
Those overseas can ask a trusted person to receive the form and respond on their behalf, or they can request a secure access code from the ABS to complete the survey online or over the phone. Those who do not get a form in the mail will be able to obtain one from locations to be announced.
Twitter: @tminear
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