With all this talk about the plebiscite on same-sex marriage that the Turnbull Government is expected to hold at some point in 2017, the fractured nature of his own party has meant that Prime Minister Turnbull has had to deal with conservative Liberals actively working to undermine it.
“We shouldn’t try to change something without understanding it, without grasping why it is that one man and one woman open to children until just a very few years ago has always been considered the essence of marriage and the heart of family.”
“Policymakers shouldn’t be judgmental about people’s personal choices but we can’t be indifferent to the erosion of family given its consequences for the wider community.”
“These days, at least in Western countries, family structures are typically more complex than they used to be. Two of my sisters are divorced. One has a new partner. Another has a same-sex partner. To me, my sisters’ partners are first-class members of our extended family. The way they live shows their commitment to each other, even though there’s been no ceremony.”“In today’s world, we need less ideology and more common sense; we need less impatience and more respect; we need less shouting at people and more engagement with them.”“We can’t shirk our responsibilities to the future; but let’s also respect and appreciate values and institutions that have stood the test of time and pass them on, undamaged, when that’s best. That’s a goal we should all be able to share.”
‘Course there’s a difference between not understanding something, and flat-out refusing to. But that’s another story for another day.
