Labor’s Penny Wong targeted for move on same-sex marriage

Penny Wong has been urged to remember her previous defence of traditional marriage.

Penny Wong in the Senate yesterday, where she warned that the postal plebiscite would expose same-sex couples to ‘hatred’.

Labor Senate leader Penny Wong has been urged by Coalition MPs to remember her previous defence of traditional marriage, after she lashed out at the Turnbull government’s postal plebiscite.

The Labor senator yesterday slammed the postal plebiscite as a $120 million “stunt” designed to paper over divisions within the Coalition partyroom.

Senator Wong used her speech to attack arguments that the plebiscite would be a unifying moment by ­allowing Australians to have a say on the issue, instead warning it would expose same-sex couples and their children to “hatred”.

Tasmanian Liberal senator Eric Abetz rejected the claim, noting that Labor had opposed same-sex marriage until 2011, when the ALP national conference changed the party platform and allowed MPs a conscience vote.

Then prime minister Julia Gillard­ had opposed same-sex marriage, as did Kevin Rudd, until he announced his change of ­position as a result of a “personal journey” in 2013.

“Labor were on the record supporting the definition of marriage just a matter of a few years ago,” Senator Abetz told The Australian.

“To claim that they were engaged­ in hate speech then is something I’m sure Labor would reject. I would invite them to desist from using such language now. Just ­because they have changed their mind doesn’t mean others have changed theirs.”

Tony Abbott also singled out Senator Wong, who has two children with her female partner, after she spoke of her anger at the Australian Christian Lobby describing the children of same-sex couples as being a “stolen generation”.

“We heard in the Senate today a Labor senator saying that it was somehow wrong to suggest that ideally children should grow up with a mother and a father,” Mr Abbott told Sydney radio station 2GB. “Single parents, same-sex parents, ­obviously do the best they can for their kids, but there is nothing wrong with saying that ideally kids should have a mother and a ­father.”

Senator Wong came under ­attack in 2010 from the LGBTI community after she publicly resiste­d reforms to allow same-sex couples to marry. Speaking on the Ten Network in July 2010, Senator Wong said she respected Labor’s view of marriage as an institution between a man and a woman.

“On the issue of marriage, I think the reality is there is a cultura­l, religious and historical view around that which we have to ­respect,” she said.