THE Border isn’t ready for gay marriage, say federal MPs Sophie Mirabella and Sussan Ley, who have pledged to stick with what they say is the view of most constituents.
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Ms Ley and Mrs Mirabella say most people within their Indi and Farrer electorates believe marriage should remain a union between a man and a woman.
Both women have received substantial correspondence from those strenuously opposed to the change of law.
Ms Ley said while society’s general stance on the issue had moved a long way in her lifetime, she thought there needed to be a further shift before changes allowing gay marriage were more widely accepted.
She said how society’s view changed over time would shape her position on the issue in the future.
Mrs Mirabella said her primary responsibility was to represent the views of her constituency, which were extremely clear.
“I seek the view of my constituents all the time and Sussan is absolutely correct, I don’t think the majority support gay marriage,” she said.
“If, over time, there was a clear majority who wanted the definition of marriage that has existed across times and civilisations to change, it’s the responsibility of Parliament to reassess this.”
Mrs Mirabella said her personal view of marriage was that it was no coincidence it had been defined as a union between a man and a woman “throughout time and history”.
“It was developed for the creation and raising of children and I think there still needs to be that important definition to describe a relationship between a man and a woman,” she said.
Ms Ley said several issues needed to be resolved, including the rights of children of gay and lesbian parents to know who their biological parents were.
But she said it was also important the government continued to remove the discrimination that existed for gay couples, such as not being recognised as next of kin.
