The Catholic Leader - July 2

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The Catholic Leader, July 2, 2017
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Debbie Preuss
Pyne’s same-sex prediction
at odds with Liberal policy
By Mark Bowling
IT is supposed to be the long, winter
break for our federal politicians, but
Government frontbencher Christo-
pher Pyne’s leaked foray into the
same-sex marriage debate fuelled
a factional boilover within his own
party, and heated rebuke from advo-
cates for traditional marriage.
Mr Pyne was caught on tape predicting same-
sex marriage could be legalised “sooner than
everyone thinks” as he addressed a gathering of
moderates before a party federal council meeting
in Sydney on June 23.
Despite politicians fleeing Canberra for a
six-week break, the spotlight remained firmly on
the Liberal Party, exposing its rifts and divisions,
and Mr Pyne’s strained loyalties to party leaders,
past and present.
The tape apparently caught him gloating that
the party’s moderates were “in the winners’
circle” following Malcolm Turnbull’s rise to
become Prime Minister.
Mr Turnbull was pressed to restate the Gov-
ernment’s policy on same-sex marriage was for
a plebiscite “and we are sticking to it”.
“Our policy is clear, we have no plans to
change it, full stop,” he said.
Former prime minister, now backbencher Tony
Abbott said it looked like Mr Pyne wasn’t being
“fair dinkum” with the Australian people and sug-
gested he was being disloyal to the Government.
Australian Marriage Forum president,
Toowoomba-based Dr David van Gend, joined a
chorus of condemnation: “Christopher Pyne has
shown contempt for the largest division of the
Liberal Party, the Queensland LNP, by his com-
ments on the Coalition’s marriage policy”.
“Last weekend, Mr Pyne told fellow ‘mod-
erates’ in the party that their faction is in ‘the
winner’s circle’ and needs to ‘deliver a couple of
things’,” he said.
“He specified changes to the definition of mar-
riage, saying, ‘One of those we’ve got to deliver
before too long is marriage equality in this coun-
try ... We’re going to get it. I think it might even
be sooner than everyone thinks. And your friends
in Canberra are working on that outcome’.
“Mr Pyne puts his faction in the winner’s cir-
cle, but that means putting the largest division of
the federal Liberal party, the Queensland LNP, in
the loser’s circle.
“Only three months ago, March 18, the
state council of the LNP strongly supported a
resolution that would keep the people’s vote on
marriage as Coalition policy into the next term
of parliament.”
Mr Pyne is a close ally of Mr Turnbull and
while the Prime Minister supports same-sex
marriage, he has resisted allowing his party
room a free vote on the issue.
The Government took former prime minister
Tony Abbott’s policy of a plebiscite to the 2016
election.
However the Senate rejected the proposal last
November.
As a political fire raged around him, Mr Pyne
remained calm, appearing on the ABC’s Q&A,
insisting none of the comments he made on the
leaked tape were anything new.
“I support the party’s policy on marriage
equality, and I’m in favour of marriage equality
if I had a vote at the plebiscite,” he said.
Mr Pyne insisted his relationship with Mr Ab-
bott was also just fine.
And on party-room scuffles: “We’re not a Sta-
linist party; people are allowed to have different
views,” he said.
“That doesn’t mean the Government is in
crisis if we have different views.”
Unity at
risk: “Mr
Pyne puts
his faction
in the
winner’s
circle, but
that means
putting
the largest
division of
the fed-
eral Liberal
Party, the
Queens-
land LNP, in
the loser’s
circle.”