Prime Minister Gillard’s reshuffle tops off her year of living dangerously.
She went out on a limb with carbon pricing, pokie reform, plain tobacco packaging and increased superannuation in spite of spirited opposition and has won the battle, if not hearts and minds, on most of them.
Poker machine reform is outstanding and continues to bite the ALP hard, especially in the eastern states and in communities dependent on local pubs and clubs. Ms Gillard’s decision to sacrifice the Speaker role is her way of gearing up for the pokies fight by mitigating the influence of Andrew Wilkie.
The Prime Minister ends the year with new blood in an expanded Cabinet, including a record number of women - five after Tanya Plibersek’s elevation to Health Minister - and the historic promotion of Nicola Roxon to the Attorney-General’s portfolio. Given the PM’s poor polling this week, the reshuffle, despite its positives (especially disability reform and mental health being given Cabinet status), is more likely to be characterised as shuffling the deck chairs.
Just as Ms Gillard has demonstrated some flair for progressive reform, she’s blown those credentials with her stance on same-sex marriage. She is a progressive thinker shamelessly pandering to traditionalists. It is unsurprising that people ask what she believes in.
After the ALP’s national conference decision regarding the export of uranium to India, no wonder some rank and file members are also confused about the party’s platform.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, on the other hand, may be true to his views on same-sex unions, but he negates his party’s liberal traditions by seeking to deny colleagues a conscience vote on the issue.
Mr Abbott’s attempt to capitalise on the issue (more specifically, on the division in Labor ranks), could backfire.
Shadow Ministers like Malcolm Turnbull and well-known equality advocates, such as Senators Marise Payne, and Simon Birmingham (in SA) will find their personal views tested and they should not be put in a position where they have to vote against their conscience.
We should expect supportive Opposition MPs to cross the floor.
As the original co-author with Andrew Bartlett of the same-sex legislation, my views on the issue are clear. What bothers me is not necessarily people who have an opposing view - that’s democracy - but hypocrisy when politicians vote against what they believe in.
Julia Gillard’s promotion of a conscience vote on same-sex marriage is about political protection and has little to do with conviction.
Mr Abbott also proclaims the importance of conscience: “Conscience is important. We’ve always respected the rights of conscience within the Coalition.”
Yet, he is adamant a conscience vote is contrary to his election platform.
We send men and women to war without parliamentary ratification. Even when there is debate, there is no conscience vote. But issues deemed “moral” issues, usually those considered too hard and with significant electoral consequences, are occasionally given conscience votes. Think stem cells, RU486, reproductive rights issues generally and euthanasia.
I find conscience votes are a good test of parliamentary rigour given all MPs are expected to consider the issue and read the legislation.
The ALP and the Coalition have shown they can’t handle a party policy on something as personal as same-sex marriage. Anything but a conscience vote under the circumstances is ridiculous.
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