Support for conscience vote on marriage equality – Poll
New ReachTEL polling, released by The Australia Institute and Australian Marriage Equality, shows voters in seven key electorates not only support marriage equality but strongly support their MPs having a conscience vote on the issue.
The electorates polled were Brisbane (Evans), Goldstein (Wilson), La Trobe (Wood), Leichhardt (Entsch), Mallee (Broad), North Sydney (Zimmerman) & Wentworth (Turnbull).
In every electorate polled a majority of voters both supported marriage equality and supported a conscience vote for their Federal Member of Parliament.
Question: Do you believe that your Federal Member of Parliament should be allowed to vote according to their own opinion and conscience on marriage equality or should be bound to vote according to his political party’s position on the issue?
|
Brisbane |
Goldstein |
Leichhardt |
La Trobe |
Mallee |
Nth Sydney |
Wentworth |
Vote according to their own opinion and conscience |
66.1% |
77.1% |
67.5% |
71.8% |
63.7% |
71.4% |
72.0% |
Vote according to their political party’s position on the issue |
26.5% |
16.1% |
25.3% |
19.9% |
28.3% |
22.4% |
21.9% |
Undecided |
7.4% |
6.8% |
7.2% |
8.3% |
8.0% |
6.2% |
6.1% |
ReachTEL conducted a survey of 6,169 residents across 7 Federal electorates on the night of 3rd August 2017. (see full results attached)
“We are closer than ever before to achieving marriage equality. Key government MPs are working to deliver a reform that will make people happy and our nation proud. Their constituents are ready to celebrate them making history,” Co-chair of Australian Marriage Equality, Alex Greenwich said.
“It’s clear constituent’s in these government seats respect their local MPs commitment to fairness and equality, and fully support them delivering on the settled will of the Australia by pursuing a parliamentary vote on marriage equality.”
“These results are further demonstration that momentum is building for a conscience vote in the parliament,” Executive Director of The Australia Institute, Ben Oquist said.
“The MPs wanting change have history on their side as well as the full backing of their electorates.
“This is not just an issue whose time has come – that was years ago, it is now well-overdue. As long as it remains unresolved, it will deny the Prime Minister his much needed political oxygen.
“It does not sit well with Australians that the United States, catholic Ireland, the UK, Canada are now all more progressive than us.
“As the inequality debate rages, this is one form of equality that we could fix quickly,” Oquist said.
[Wentworth results in PDF below – full results on request: click here]
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