MEDIA RELEASE

For release: November 7, 2011

Weekend media reports that Labor is weakening its position on marriage have implications for the Party’s and the Prime Minister’s election promises, according to the Australian Christian Lobby.

ACL Managing Director Jim Wallace said it was inconceivable that a major political party like Labor could remove from its policy platform something so fundamental to society and children as marriage between a man and a woman.

“We just find it unbelievable that a political party which seeks to retain Government would not retain as party policy something as basic as marriage between a man and a woman.

“Allowing marriage to be redefined is something no political party should do,” Mr Wallace said.

“If the Prime Minister’s compromise position of a conscience vote for MPs in return for the Left dropping the marriage debate from the ALP National Conference is adopted, the only way the election promises could not be breached is for no Parliamentary vote to take place until after the next election.

“The ALP, and the Prime Minister personally, contested the 2010 election with a clear commitment to maintaining marriage between a man and a woman.

“Election commitments apply to the term of the Parliament to which they were made. If Labor bows to the Greens’ timetable for a conscience vote next year this will be a breach of the election promise,” Mr Wallace said.

“Until after the next election, the ALP must join with the Coalition to defeat any move on marriage if it is to maintain the integrity of its commitments to this constituency.”

Here is the ALP election promise, and here is the PM’s video-taped promise.