NO to Changing the Marriage Act

ABCNEWS24 -

CAPITAL HILL 14/12/2011

R.B.: It's not a matter of disappointment. The leadership had a robust discussion obviously about this. Tony has now put his foot down and said our party will not be part of that conscience vote. That will be a first in the history of the parliament. There were 5 conscience votes in the Howard years. I would expect this would have been a conscience vote but the party room is not going to roll a leader on an issue such as this.

Presenter: You expected then it was going to be a conscience vote, so what was your reaction then to when Tony Abbott has made this decision?

R.B.: No, what I said was we shouldn't be afraid of a conscience vote. I never called for a conscience vote, I didn't enter into that. I said we shouldn't be afraid of a conscience vote. This will be the first time ever, if a Labor Party has a conscience vote and we don't it, will be the first time in the history of the parliament.

Presenter: Is this a good thing or a bad thing then?

R.B.: I'm not to judge that. It's up to the leadership to take these decisions and the party room will abide by those decisions. As I said, I've said on other programs, this is not a cross the floor issue.

Presenter: How would you vote then? Are you going to stick with the party line on this one?

R.B.: I was always going to vote for no change to the Marriage Act when that went through the parliament in the Howard years, a marriage is between a man and a woman. There wasn't a word spoken against that legislation as it went through, not a word from anybody anywhere so I was always going to support that legislation.

CAPITAL HILL 21/02/2012

Hello and welcome to Capital Hill, I'm Julie Doyle………….

Presenter: Russell, the Prime Minister is having dinner tonight with several gay couples and we've got two bills before the parliament for a gay marriage. We've spoken to you before in the past about whether there should be a conscience vote. Your party is expected to allow backbenchers to have a free vote, is that good enough?

R.B.: Well I'm opposed to any change to the legislation. So when those bills are brought before the parliament I will be opposing them. I expect all of my colleagues will be opposing those bills as well and stating for a fact that marriage should be between a man and a woman.

Presenter: But what about the issue of the conscience vote though?

R.B.: Well, the Labor Party have been given a conscience vote. Our leader has decided that there will be no conscience vote. There will be no free vote and that's his prerogative. That's the way he sees it as a policy position. We went to the 2004, '07 and '10 elections with that position. That marriage is between a man and a woman. The leadership has sent that message out and that's how I understand we will be voting.

Presenter: Do you think though on this one there's been talk that backbenchers will be allowed to, what about junior ministers, parliamentary secretaries should they be able to vote the way they want to?

R.B.: Well, no, they will always take - if they've got their political futures in mind, they will take their lead from the leadership and that's what most of them - I'm sure that's what they will do.

Presenter: So you're comfortable with the way this is going to unfold then for your side of politics?

R.B.: I'm always comfortable after we've had a reasonable discussion about these issues, which we have had in the party room. Tony's put his position very clearly, I've had a chance to put my position on the conscience vote. We've done that, the party's come to a decision, we'll be voting against the bills.