Love him or loathe him, Tony Abbott has yet again proven himself a shrewd political navigator by successfully blocking the latest attempt to legalise homosexual marriage.
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Just when it looked like the Liberal party may actually stick to the liberal principle that every vote is a free vote, he enlisted the help of the Nationals to make sure the coalition present a united, conservative front.
A handful of Liberal backbenchers have expressed their intention to cross the floor should the bill go before parliament, but that is looking increasingly unlikely in the face of the current numbers.
This leaves those in favour of marriage equality staring down the barrel of at least another 12 month wait.
Should the coalition be ousted next election, Bill Shorten has promised to legalise marriage equality within 100 days.
A lot can change in a year though and there is every chance the coalition could win re-election, which will no doubt put them in a sticky situation.
Member for Hume Angus Taylor is among a growing number of Liberal MPs lending their support to a plebiscite or referendum.
In his words, “this is a significant change and politicians have no more expertise in this matter than any other Australian”.
In most instances we trust our elected representatives to do just that- represent their electorate.
When it comes to such a polarising issue though, surely a public vote is long overdue.
