PM rejects criticism from John Howard

The argument that same-sex survey is only about gay marriage is undermined by admissions over religious freedoms, Matt Canavan says.

Minister for Defence Industry Christopher Pyne and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull during Question Time. Picture: AAP

Nationals Senator and co-ordinator for the Coalition’s No case in the same-sex postal survey, Matt Canavan, has declared concessions from Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten on the need for more religious freedoms if the Yes vote succeeds “destroys the argument that the plebiscite is only about gay marriage”.

Senator Canavan said: “I welcome the Prime Minister’s, and Bill Shorten’s, recognition that a yes vote has significant implications for religious freedoms”.

The Prime Minister and Opposition Leader were reacting to calls from John Howard for the government and supporters of the Yes campaign to produce legislation which would protect freedom of religion and freedom of speech as well as parental rights before the ballot is completed.

The former Prime Minister accused the government of “washing its hands” of the concerns about religious freedom and called on the government to produce evidence of religious freedoms beyond not forcing priests, rabbis or imams to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies.

Mr Turnbull and Mr Shorten both said there would be more freedoms than currently proposed in the existing private members’ bill.

Senator Canavan said politicians were asking Australians to take a leap of faith and “trust them”.

“This admission destroys the argument that the plebiscite is only about gay marriage and nothing else. There are big consequences that will follow from a Yes vote,” he said.

“It is not good enough to glibly say that freedoms will be protected.

“If they can’t tell you what they want, you should vote No. If they don’t know, you should vote No.

“Those who are voting No have a specific piece of legislation in mind. It is called the Marriage Act 1961. That’s our Act. A Yes vote is a leap into the dark,” Senator Canavan said.

Nationals Senator Matt Canavan says Yes campaign politicians are asking Australians to take a leap of faith over the protection of religious freedoms.

Turnbull rejects Howard criticism

Malcolm Turnbull says he believes in freedom of religion even more than gay marriage as he invited John Howard to advise the government on religious protections in the Yes vote wins the postal survey.

The Prime Minister this morning rejected Mr Howard’s claim his government was “washing its hands” on ensuring religious freedom would be protected if Australians voted Yes in the November poll. Mr Howard wants the government to outline religious protections before the survey concludes.

“We will welcome John Howard’s contribution to the fine tuning of that exposure draft bill and its improvement, I am sure John will make an enormous contribution,” Mr Turnbull told Sky News.

“I can say to Mr Howard and to all Australians that if there is a majority Yes vote in the postal survey — and I encourage Australians to vote Yes, Lucy and I will be voting Yes — religious freedoms will be protected, there is consensus across the parliament to do that.”

.@TurnbullMalcolm: We welcome John Howard’s contribution in the event of a bill to legalise same sex marriage. MORE https://t.co/xNTeNLO37E pic.twitter.com/KU8df3zS4L

— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) September 14, 2017

The Prime Minister’s statement was swiftly followed by Opposition Leader Bill Shorten labelling himself a “person of faith’’ whose Labor Party would not support legalising same-sex marriage unless religious freedoms were adequately protected.

Mr Turnbull later said he had not considered Mr Howard taking on a formal advisory role in the drafting of a gay marriage bill. He said there would be debate about the details of the legislation to change the Marriage Act if the Yes vote was successful.

“John Howard knows very well, because there were free votes that were conducted under his time as prime minister, private members will get a bill to protect religious freedoms and there could be an amendment here and an amendment there, a debate about this and a debate about that,” he said.

“No doubt it will be amended and debated and we don’t have a majority in the Senate and in any event, it is a free vote.”

“I just want to reassure Australians that as strongly as I believe in the right of same-sex couples to marry, I also believe in religious freedom and it will be protected in any bill.”

Mr Turnbull responded to a report revealing a church that wouldn’t marry a straight couple because the bride wrote a Facebook post supporting gay marriage.

“Churches are entitled to marry or not marry whom they please. That is part of religious freedom,” he said.

“My own church, the Catholic Church, will not marry someone who has married before. We’re not talking about a religious (issue) we’re talking about changing the civil law to recognise

the committed relationship of people, in this case, who are same-sex couples.”

Earlier, Cabinet minister Chris Pyne has hit back at Mr Howard, declaring the former prime minister was wrong in saying the government was “washing its hands” on protecting religious freedoms if the Yes vote prevailed in the postal surgery on same-sex marriage.

Mr Pyne said this morning the government had “of course not” washed its hands on assuring religious freedom would remain if there was a change in the Marriage Act.

He said any bill supported by the Coalition would ensure religious groups would have the right to conscientiously object to marrying gay people.

“If there is a Yes in the postal vote, and I hope there will be because I think two people who love each other should be able to get married to each other, then we will have a bill that will protect the rights of churches not to marry people they don’t want to marry,” Mr Pyne told Nine Network.

“Of course we can do that it is not beyond the parliament, we’ve done it many times before, that’s how we make laws.

“We will protect the freedom of speech of people and of course the rights of people to choose whether they do or don’t marry couples.”

John Howard has slammed Malcolm Turnbull's handling of same sex marriage. #9Today pic.twitter.com/CZjekLQLGl

— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) September 14, 2017

Yesterday, Mr Howard said it was an abrogation of responsibility and “disingenuous” for the government not to address the “legitimate concerns” of Australians about the legal protections that were needed to accompany same-sex marriage.

He said the government should outline how it would protect religious freedoms in the event of a Yes vote before the November poll.

“It is important for the government to spell out, in advance of the vote, what steps it will take to protect parental rights, freedom of speech and religious freedom in the event of same-sex marriage becoming law. The case for these protections is compelling,” Mr Howard said in a statement yesterday.

“It is completely disingenuous to assert that a change of this magnitude to a fundamental social institution does not have consequences. This issue must be addressed before the survey is completed.”

Mr Pyne said Mr Howard was allowed to campaign and it would be a matter for the Australian public to decide if he is right.

“It is not a question of John Howard v Malcolm Turnbull or anybody else quite frankly, it is whether people believe that two people who love each other should be able to get married,” Mr Pyne said.

Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese said opponents of same-sex marriage were trying to turn the debate into something it wasn’t.

“What’s interesting is that the opponents of marriage equality are raising any issue except for the only one that is before the Australian people, whether two people who love each other can give that commitment in front of friends and family, that is all this is about,” Mr Albanese said.