It was the right move to retain a conscience vote on the issue of same-sex marriage for Labor MPs in the next two terms, a spokesman for the party's Orana branch has said as he remained optimistic a change to the laws could be passed as soon as within the current term.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Stephen Lawrence welcomed the compromise resolution passed at the Labor Party's national conference at the weekend as he said "the most important thing (was) to get the reform as soon as possible".
The conference decision means federal Labor MPs will be bound to vote for same-sex marriage if a bill is put before the Parliament, but not until after the next two elections.
Mr Lawrence, who was Labor's candidate for the state seat of Dubbo at the March election, said in the current context he did not think the party should be binding its MPs on the issue.
"(The resolution of the national conference) is in my view a positive development because the passage of marriage equality into law in the short term may depend on the Liberal and National MPs being given a conscience vote on the issue," he said.
"In that context I don't think Labor should be trying to bind people in the Parliament on the issue.
"It's also one of those issues that I personally feel should be a personal matter.
"True enduring social change comes from the persuasion of people as to what is right and what is possible.
"The marriage equality movement is an amazing example of that and the debate should in my view continue in that vein inside the Labor party and in the community generally."
Labor leader Bill Shorten and senior Labor figures called on Prime Minister Tony Abbott to let Liberal MPs stand up in the Parliament for what they believed in.
Mr Lawrence said he thought it was "likely" reform could happen in the current term because "Mr Abbott would be foolish to go to the election with this as an unresolved issue".
"And I'd also hope he would not act in bad faith and prevent the private members bill that's been introduced from being voted on," he said.
"If the government allows it to be voted on I have to say it's not definite but there's a good chance of it passing."