Religious freedom a priority in marriage bill: Scott Morrison

Scott Morrison has assured ­religious freedoms would be prioritised in any bill to legalise same-sex marriage.

Scott Morrison has assured ­voters that religious freedoms would be prioritised in any bill to legalise same-sex marriage.

In his most significant contribution to the marriage equality ­debate since the survey began last week, the Treasurer — a staunch defender of traditional marriage — said he was keen to play a role in ensuring religious freedoms were protected in the event of a Yes vote.

The comment came as the Australian Bureau of Statistics ­encouraged Australians not to trust doorknockers to post their survey forms on their behalf to help preserve the “integrity of the survey process”.

“ABS is aware campaigners doorknocking around the country are offering to post completed survey forms where a survey ­recipient gives them permission to do so,” an ABS spokesman said.

“ABS recommends survey ­respondents only give a form to someone else to post if they consider that person to be completely trustworthy.”

The response came after the Marriage Equality campaign yesterday tweeted and then removed a picture of a volunteer who had collected “39 votes from 60 houses” during a doorknock. A spokesman for the Marriage Equality campaign saidthat a “small number of Yes supporters gave their permission for our volunteers to post their sealed surveys” but the key focus was on encouraging ­people to “post their surveys back themselves”.

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann, who has responsibility for the survey, said he had “complete confidence” in the integrity of the ballot being run by the ABS.

Mr Morrison defended the government decision not to ­release the details of a bill to legalise same-sex marriage until after the outcome of the postal survey, saying this process would have also applied to the compulsory plebiscite knocked back by the Senate. “The only difference of method here is it’s being done through a non-compulsory survey as opposed to a full-attendance compulsory plebiscite,” he told Sky News.

Mr Morrison said he would be very “forward leaning” to ensure that adequate protections were included in any legislation to accompany same-sex marriage. “I can ensure Australians that this would be on the top of my list for that particular bill and how it went through,” he said.

Mr Morrison’s comments follow those of Malcolm Turnbull, who said, in response to former prime minister John Howard, that he believed in religious freedom “even more strongly” than in same-sex marriage.

Mr Howard last week called on the government to disclose the bill to legalise same-sex marriage ­before the end of the postal vote so Australians knew what they were voting for.

An online social media community for gay conservatives who believe in traditional marriage was also launched at a rally at Queensland University yesterday, with 19-year-old gay student Wilson Gavin arguing that gay marriage could result in the “wholesale ­destruction of the family”.

Mr Gavin, a conservative active in politics , told The Australian the online community — known as Our Voice. Our Vote — was ­intended as a forum for gay people who did not want to put up with the “bigotry” of the Yes campaign.

“There are so many gay and ­lesbian people who support the traditional definition of marriage but are afraid of being ostracised,” he said.