Plebiscite Bill Tabled in Parliament

The Prime Minister himself tables the same-sex marriage plebiscite bill in the House of Representatives. The bill confirms the details that had been made public two days earlier (see News of 13 September) as well as some others: the result will be determined by the majority of votes for YES or NO minus the informals (we are yet to find out if writing anything on a ballot paper other than Yes or No will make it informal); surplus funds, including those donated to the YES and NO committees, will be transferred to the DisabilityCare Australia Fund Special Account – this seems to be fashionable after the proposed Medicare co-payment was to be put into the Medical Research Fund. No text or automated phone messages will be allowed, much to everyone’s relief. The 35 page bill borrows heavily from the lengthy Referendums Machinery Act so the vote will be complete with postal and pre-poll voting and other referendum add-ons, thus requiring a 48 page explanatory memorandum! No effort has been spared to get everyone to vote given it’s compulsory at a cost of $170m, to which the PM commented “What price democracy?” and left it at that (we agree). Labor has heavily hinted that it will not support the bill on the basis of public funding of the YES and NO cases; its potentially divisive nature and exclusion of those affected; the unusual nature of the vote on a matter that would be ordinarily be decided by Parliament and its cost. On the other hand, we still don’t know what legislative changes the Government intends to table and when, if the vote gets up as would be known ahead of a referendum to change the Constitution. This includes potential amendment of the Sex Discrimination Act to protect businesses/individuals who refuse to provide services for same-sex weddings.