While condemning the $122 million “waste of taxpayer funds” on the government’s same-sex marriage postal ballot, local LGBTQI group Pink Mountains and Federal Member for Macquarie Susan Templeman have urged residents to vote.
Jonathan Llewellyn, co-facilitator of lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, queer and inter-sex group Pink Mountains is concerned about the effect the public debate will have on the gay community, but says boycotting the vote is not an option.
As one of the leaders of Pink Mountains Youth, a group for young people which meets monthly, Mr Llewellyn said fears are already being aired.
“There is a vulnerability to these young people and already they are raising concerns about how to respond to issues that impact them being discussed so publicly often by people who don’t have any knowledge to begin with,” he said.
“Public debate and community consultation is always important. However, rational debate is different to hateful, misleading and misinformed fear-mongering. Already there has been an increase in reports of homophobic attacks on people”.
“What we want is marriage equality. We want the opportunity, if we choose, to marry the person we love regardless of gender. It [marriage equality] says that Australian society values everyone’s relationships,” Mr Llewellyn said. “Voting is an individual’s most powerful way of having their say.”
Ms Templeman urged people to enrol to vote by August 24 and check their details are up to date.
“I will be campaigning for a yes vote and I will be voting yes,” Ms Templeman said.
“Voting yes isn’t about endorsing this illegitimate process; it’s about fighting for equality when people need us to.”
She slammed the “$122 million household survey”, the results of which the government isn’t bound by. “This is has to be one of the most expensive and ineffective polls ever conducted. This money would be better spent on something else.”
Meanwhile, former prime minister Tony Abbott has said Australians should reject marriage equality. “If you don't like same-sex marriage, vote no. If you're worried about religious freedom and freedom of speech, vote no, and if you don't like political correctness, vote no because voting no will help to stop political correctness in its tracks," he said last week.
On September 12 the Bureau of Statistics begins posting out ballots; on November 7 responses have to be received and on November 15 the result will be announced. If a "yes" vote is successful, there will be two weeks before the end of the parliamentary year for a vote to take place in Parliament.
- with SMH