The True Cost of Marriage Equality

Greens candidate for Wentworth Dejay Toborek didn’t mince words when he explained to City Hub his feeling surrounding the suggested plebiscite on marriage equality: “It’s unnecessary, all it takes is for the Parliament to decide they want to change the law and they change it.”

The cost of the plebiscite to end all plebiscites has been estimated by PricewaterhouseCoopers to exceed $500M – little wonder most quarters see it as an exorbitant delay tactic.

Challenging Malcolm Turnbull for his seat is something of a full circle moment for Toborek, who is openly gay and has been engaged to his partner for nine years.

“Back in 2010, I had the chance to speak to Malcolm Turnbull with my partner and he looked into our eyes and said ‘you can have civil unions now, but you’re going to have to wait for marriage equality’. Six years later we’re still waiting.”

During that six year period it appeared that there was a brief period of hope which was quickly dashed. According to Toborek: “There was a point at which Abbott was going to concede that he was going to lose the issue and was going to hand the bill over ensuring it was non-partisan. Warren Entsch was going to put it to the Parliament with all of the parties signing on and it was just going to be voted on, then out of nowhere the plebiscite idea came along. The far right has forced Malcolm Turnbull to follow it.”

With all these factors in mind Toberek has decided this year is the time to take a stand because “there’s a genuine concern that we’re not going to get it no matter which party wins the election.”

Speaking of the cost of the plebiscite as opposed to an act of Parliament in a recent Facebook debate hosted by news.com.au, Malcolm Turnbull once again affirmed his support of marriage equality but could not confirm that of his compatriots.

“I’m in favour of it. I support same-sex marriage. If we are returned to government, there will be a plebiscite and all Australians will get a say on the issue. My party decided, prior to my becoming Prime Minister, to have a plebiscite. I have to say – not that we politicians ever look at opinion polls – but every poll I’ve seen shows very strong support for the proposition that Australians should have a say, so it has been offered to them and promised to them and we will deliver a plebiscite.

I can assure you that I will support it, I’ll be voting yes and I’m confident it will be carried.”

The Labor Party has promised to enshrine marriage equality within the first 100 days of power, if elected to rule.

Many candidates have risen to power on the back of false promises, but Tanya Plibersek is convinced that her party will deliver.

“We know that Federal Parliament has the authority to legislate marriage equality, and the High Court has said so. We would allow a free vote in the Parliament on mass. We would hope that the coalition parties would allow a free vote for their party members as well.

Certainly Malcolm Turnbull has said in the past that he’s a supporter of allowing a free vote of Liberal MP’s. I’m confident that the numbers are already there if there is a free vote. It wouldn’t be very difficult to do at all. We just need to ensure that people have the ability to vote on it as soon as possible,” explained the Opposition Deputy Leader.

Putting the financial cost of the proposed plebiscite there is a genuine fear within the LGBTI community that a plebiscite will give a substantial platform for anti-gay campaigners in the horrifically tragic aftermath of the Orland Massacre, where Omar Mateen killed 49 people in a gay night club.

Free speech is one thing, but the mental toll it could take on the LGBTI community and the social costs associated with it could be too much for an already struggling economy to handle.

“You just don’t know what hate speech can turn into, even though we might have equal rights it does not necessarily translate to anti-discrimination or to being treated equally and fairly. I think that having a plebiscite absolutely does open the door, and sanctions negative commentary that I think is damaging for our most vulnerable, who I think are our young people,” explained Co-Chair of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Fran Bowron.

“[Young people] already have really high rates of homelessness and mental health issues, and this will just contribute to that enormously.”

The facts state that 72% of the country say yes, though ultimately the great sway has no bearing on the decision makers. Whether the nationwide poll is a step forward for the LGBTI community or one that encumbers the forbearing battle for equal rights remains ambiguous.

BY ANDREW HODGSON