Politicians of all stripes have made a hash of marriage equality

READ the brutal takedown of our federal politicians by Sarrah Le Marquand which inspired Karl Stefanovic’s passionate comments this morning.

GIVEN these are the very same people who struggle to master basic tasks such as keeping up to date on their dual-citizenship status, it should come as a surprise to no-one that we are a country governed by fools.

With a parliament largely dominated by middle-aged suits chauffeured around Canberra while remaining blissfully oblivious to the average cost of childcare or a Sydney mortgage, most of our elected leaders are — ironically — incapable of leadership.

So anyone seriously looking to Parliament House to lead the way on marriage equality is profoundly deluded.

With approximately 70 per cent of Australians having long been in favour of reforming the Marriage Act to recognise same-sex unions, the inaction of our elected representatives has only confirmed the embarrassing disconnect between politicians and the general public.

And contrary to self-serving attempts of a certain Opposition Leader to rewrite history for the benefit of a gullible social-media following with a memory no longer than 140 characters, neither side of parliament has any claim to the high moral ground on this issue.

A quick rollcall of our Prime Ministers over the past decade shows none have demonstrated any genuine commitment to marriage reform — at least not while they were residing in The Lodge and were in a position to actually do anything.

Self-described “traditionalist” Tony Abbott was only upholding a long history of maintaining marriage to be an institution exclusive to a man and a woman when he assumed office in 2013.

Australians have made it clear in poll after poll that they want marriage equality. (Pic: Peter Parks/AFP)

Prior to that, voters had front-row seats to Julia Gillard’s repeated declarations that same-sex marriage was a big legislative no-no, a position also staunchly held by her predecessor Kevin Rudd until he was kicked to the kerb and suddenly saw the enlightenment.

So neither side of politics has shown any true courage or conviction in legalising same-sex marriage in Australia. You know it, I know it, Malcolm Turnbull knows it — and make no mistake, Bill Shorten knows it too.

So why all the hysteria that the issue will not be left in the hands of our pitifully timid and out-of-touch parliament and instead be left in the hands of voters in the form of a plebiscite?

Why the pretence that after years of doing absolutely nothing, suddenly only the dawdling cowards in Canberra are the ones fit to act?

Who is falling for this nonsense? And why are those who should know better — marriage-equality lobbyists — allowing themselves to be so easily manipulated?

Having once favoured a plebiscite himself, it’s clear Shorten is determined to wedge Turnbull and ensure that marriage reform is delayed until he himself is the one who gets to sign off on it.

It’s the ultimate in political cynicism — and a tactic so self-centred even the most narcissistic of brides would blush at the vanity.

Those who genuinely oppose same-sex marriage are one thing. In a democracy, everyone is entitled to their views, and it is essential for a tolerant and mature society to accept that some people will struggle to reconcile our evolving laws and social progress with their own beliefs.

While I might not agree with those who wish to withhold a fellow citizen’s right to marry — especially given it’s a right the majority of us take for granted — belittling or demonising those with differing views is not helpful.

Tony Abbott’s sister 👇🏻 https://t.co/f9zsNdKE2l

— Mark Di Stefano 🤙🏻 (@MarkDiStef) August 7, 2017

But there should be no forgiveness for those who support marriage equality but are still doing their best to delay it for their own political ends.

In light of yesterday’s decision by the Liberal party room for a renewed push for a plebiscite, to be followed by a postal vote if that were to fail, those who should be rallying behind its speedy passing are now threatening a High Court challenge.

When will this madness end?

At what point does a little bit of common sense trump this endless capacity to self-destruct?

If a plebiscite had gone ahead as originally suggested by the Prime Minister in February, then this week would have marked six months since Australia finally caught up with the rest of the developed world in recognising same-sex marriage.

Granted, we technically don’t need a costly plebiscite. If then PM John Howard was allowed to tinker with the Marriage Act without a public vote in 2004 then Turnbull should be allowed do the same 13 years later.

But a tawdry combination of party room politics, horsetrading and general cowardice has meant that, for better or worse (in sickness and in health), a plebiscite is the only viable option for now. That’s just the reality.

As for the argument that a plebiscite will result in a needlessly drawn-out and divisive debate, well don’t look now, but we are already slap-bang in the middle of that. So let’s not kid ourselves there’s any way to avoid that.

That same-sex marriage will soon become a reality in Australia is a refection on us the voters, and not our spineless, dithering parliamentarians.

Don’t let them take the glory for something they should have taken the lead on years ago, but did nothing but squander. Flawed or not, let’s embrace the plebiscite and move on with our lives — and leave the fools who govern this country to their petty power plays.

Sarrah Le Marquand is the editor-in-chief of Stellar magazine and the founding editor of RendezView.

Originally published as Politicians of all stripes have made a hash of marriage equality