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Government says no decision made on timing of gay marriage plebiscite

The government says a marriage equality plebiscite will be held as soon as is practicable.

The government says a marriage equality plebiscite will be held as soon as is practicable. Photo: AAP

Coalition frontbencher Kelly O’Dwyer has insisted the government has not yet decided when it will hold the plebiscite on same-sex marriage, although it is looking increasingly unlikely the vote will be held this year.

The Sunday Telegraph is reporting Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will push the $160 million plebiscite back to February next year, despite saying during the federal election that he hoped to hold a vote in 2016.

A spokesperson for the Prime Minister said the Australian Electoral Commission had handed the government advice which “strongly recommended against the conduct of a plebiscite this calendar year”.

“The mechanics of the plebiscite, including the specific question and also the timing, are subject to the usual Cabinet processes,” the spokesperson said.

Ms O’Dwyer also told the ABC’s Insiders program that no final decision had been made.

“That advice will no doubt be put to the Cabinet at a future point in time,” she said.

“No decision has been taken as to the timing or the question, Cabinet has not yet made a decision.

“Advice has been received and that advice will be considered.”

She also denied suggestions it was now all but impossible for a vote to be held this year.

“No decision has been taken, so you can’t make that assumption,” Ms O’Dwyer said.

Her frontbench colleague Alan Tudge was slightly more definitive.

“[The Prime Minister’s] main message was that he wanted to have it held as soon as practically possible,” he told Sky News.

“We’re now getting advice from the AEC saying it’s probably not practical to have it this year. So therefore it’s likely to be next year.”

Kelly O'Dwyer

Kelly O’Dwyer (C) said Cabinet was yet to make any decision on the timing or question. Photo: AAP

Marriage equality campaigner Rodney Croome said the plebiscite process had been fraught with delays and confusion.

“The fact that the electoral commission needs more time, and probably more resources to actually organise plebiscite on marriage equality, just shows what a sham this whole thing is,” he said.

“We know that the result won’t be binding on politicians, that it’s going to cost a lot of money, that’s going to damage many people.”

Shorten ‘not convinced’ of merit of public vote

Mr Turnbull has previously said he was confident laws to allow same-sex marriage would “sail through” Parliament if a majority of Australians voted for it in a plebiscite.

Labor has criticised plans for the national vote, arguing it will provide a forum for hate speech against the LGBTI community.

bill shorten concedes election

Bill Shorten has criticised the expense of the exercise. Photo: AAP

But earlier this month Opposition Leader Bill Shorten left the door open to supporting legislation for the plebiscite.

Mr Shorten said he was “not convinced” of the merit of the public vote, and labelled it the “second-best option”, but said he would discuss it with his colleagues.

The ALP continued to harry the government on the issue on Sunday morning.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten accused the Prime Minister of “backflipping” on same-sex marriage.

“Malcolm Turnbull has long supported a vote in Parliament, but to appease the hard right of the Liberal Party, he is wasting $160 million on a plebiscite that won’t even bind MPs to its result,” he said.

“Let’s just get on with it. Parliament should do its job and deal with a marriage equality bill, with all parties afforded a free vote.”

SAME SEX MARRIAGE RALLY

It appears unlikely Australians will be asked this year to vote on whether to allow same-sex marriage.

Labor frontbencher Shayne Neumann said it would be much better for parliament to deal with the issue, rather than abdicating responsibility to voters.

“Well another broken promise by Malcolm Turnbull – $160 million he wants to spend of taxpayers’ money when we can vote on this in federal parliament soon, and no guarantee that he will bind his own members of his own caucus if the public votes for it, as I expect they will,” he said.

Greens Leader Richard Di Natale accused the Coalition of trying to deliberately delay the plebiscite.

“Delays are the entire point of the Liberals’ plebiscite ploy,” he said.

“They don’t want to end discrimination in the law, they want to push it off to the never-never.”

-ABC

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