Coalition MPs launch ‘Yes’ campaign for gay marriage postal survey

LIBERAL Party bigwigs are launching their own campaign for gay marriage, with one senior figure revealing the very personal reason why he’s involved.

COALITION MPs are set to launch their campaign urging Australians to vote “Yes” in next month’s postal survey on same-sex marriage today.

A new ad has been launched to kickstart the campaign outlining why Liberal and National party voters want to make same-sex marriage legal.

“Let’s just get the gay marriage issue through, and then let’s get on with some economic policy,” one voter says.

Another says: “Unless we make the effort to do this now, it’s just something that’s going to linger on.”

Others claim same-sex marriage will strengthen the family unit and that all Australians should be free to do what they want.

GAY MARRIAGE PLEBISCITE: Majority to vote ‘Yes’, says Newspoll

Education Minister Simon Birmingham will be actively campaigning for Australians to vote ‘Yes’. Picture: AAP

Government Minister Kelly O'Dwyer will be joining the Yes campaign. Picture: Nicki Connolly

Current members of Malcolm Turnbull’s cabinet including Financial Services Minister Kelly O’Dwyer and Education Minister Simon Brimingham will join the campaign, along with former government minister Amanda Vanstone.

Other Turnbull Government MPs have refused to campaign for either side of the vote.

. @ScottMorrisonMP confirms he will be voting ‘No’ in the upcoming same-sex marriage vote #auspols MORE: https://t.co/UI82dMPoHH pic.twitter.com/IWvGCwubx9

— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) August 27, 2017

Treasurer Scott Morrison said he would be voting ‘No’ but would not be campaigning either way.

“I’ve got a pretty important job to do as Treasurer — I’m focused on the nation’s finances, I’m focused on the economy and how much Australians are earning,” he told reporters in Canberra today.

“People in my electorate know my views on this, they’ve known it for a long time ... but I respect the views of everybody else.”

The ‘Liberals and Nationals for Yes’ campaign will be led by Andrew Bragg, who was recently the acting federal director of the Liberal Party.

Liberal Party Federal President Nick Greiner will also join the campaign.

Mr Greiner told Fairfax Media he had joined because one of his children could get married and the other could not.

The new ad comes as marriage equality campaigners hosted a mass gay wedding ceremony in Melbourne's CBD in support of a 'yes' vote in the upcoming postal survey. Picture: AAP

“I have two kids, one of whom is in a model of a traditional marriage, one of whom is in a model of a same-sex relationship,” he told Fairfax.

“I don’t see how in heaven’s name we can ask their kids to think it’s acceptable that one partnership is inferior to the other.

“I don’t see why my grandchildren should be subject to a different state or government view of their parents’ relationship.

“This is a classic conservative issue, both in the sense of being pro-marriage, and a Liberal issue in terms of being about freedom of choice.”

Mr Greiner also slammed Liberal MPs such as Tony Abbott throwing “red herrings” into the debate.

“Religious freedoms will be assured if this change is made, just as they are today,” he wrote in an opinion piece for The Australian today.

“The deliberate conflating of issues only happens when people know they cannot win an argument on its merits.”

Widening the definition of marriage would deliver stronger families and communities, he wrote.

“Liberals should also recognise that all great institutions such as marriage evolve all the time,” he wrote.

“Today, more than a billion people live in countries that have embraced the freedom to marry for all their citizens.

“Britain, the US, New Zealand and Canada are often compared to Australia. Each of these nations in the “Anglosphere” now permits same-sex marriage.

“In these countries, as well as Catholic Spain, Ireland and Argentina, the religious celebration of marriage has also been protected.

“The experience in these countries has been that no one has become more gay, or less married, and the achievement of the reform has been a unifying moment for people across the political spectrum.”