ALP Looking Down Their Noses at Australian People

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    I have long said that there has no issue of such fundamental importance to the foundation of Australian society as the SSM plebiscite.
    It is not an ordinary everyday issue that could easily be decided in Parliament.
    The ALP seems to be looking down their noses at the people by not trusting them to behave maturely.

    Marriage equality plebiscite: Labor looking down noses, Ciobo says







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    Brandis to meet with Dreyfus over plebiscite



    Steve Ciobo, pictured with his wife Astra, has expressed opposition to same-sex marriage.
    Trade Minister Steven Ciobo has accused Labor MPs of “looking down their nose” at the Australian people by resisting a plebiscite on same-sex marriage, ahead of high-level talks between the government and opposition today.
    Attorney-General George Brandis will represent the Coalition at the meeting in Brisbane, warning any refusal to allow a plebiscite on the issue could see the issue unresolved until next decade.
    However Mark Dreyfus, who will represent Labor, described same-sex marriage as a “foregone conclusion” and LGBTI people have told him they are willing to wait and avoid a plebiscite that they fear would amplify hate speech.
    Mr Ciobo, who has expressed opposition to same-sex marriage, rejected suggestions that Australians were “too immature” to debate the issue calmly.
    “Australians are capable of having mature and rational discussions. We don’t need the Labor Party looking down their nose at the population of Australia and basically saying ‘look, you’re all too immature to have a conversation in a respectful tone’ — that is not the case,” Mr Ciobo told ABC radio.
    Mr Ciobo said “ugliness” was not unknown in political debate and distasteful views have been aired about immigration and marriage equality without public funding.
    Mr Ciobo said one of the key sticking points — the $15m public for the “yes” and “no” camps — should not be conceded.
    “It’s important that for fairness to apply, it’s got to be seen to be fair. We have seen public funding of ‘yes’ and ‘no’ campaigns in Australia for some period of time … It is a fair approach, it’s one that does present both sides,” he said.
    Mr Dreyfus said it was a “foregone conclusion” that marriage equality was inevitable in Australia and said gay and lesbian Australians were prepared to wait for a free vote to avoid a plebiscite.
    “I’ve had dozens and dozens of emails just over the last couple of days from the LGBTI community urging that there be no plebiscite, urging Labor to hold the line that this is a harmful, divisive plebiscite that they don’t want and they are willing to wait some time for that vote in the parliament that will bring marriage equality about,” he told ABC radio.
    “I’m not going to this meeting with a list (of demands). I’m not going this meeting as a negotiation. The government produced this plebiscite model without any consultation with Labor,” he said.
    “If Senator Brandis asks me to come to a meeting, of course I’ll go, I’ll be listening, and we’ll wait to see what he comes up with.
    “He can make those kinds of threats (about delaying a resolution) but there will be ongoing pressure from Australians for a vote in the parliament.”
    Mr Dreyfus criticised Senator Brandis and Mr Turnbull for failing to condemnleaflets distributed by Liberal Party members in northwest Sydney that conflated marriage equality with the Safe Schools program.
 
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