Member for Lyne, Dr David Gillespie has released a statement about the vote on same-sex marriage in Parliament on Thursday, December 17.
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“I did not vote against the legislation to allow same-sex couples to marry,” Dr Gillespie said.
“On the date the results of the survey were announced, I indicated that I looked forward to ‘now dealing with the legislation that facilitates the will of our electorate and the Australian people with the religious protections that have been committed to throughout the debate leading up to the completion of this survey to ensure freedom of religion, speech and conscience are all upheld’.
“I participated in the parliamentary debate and voted in support of those protections that were committed to, however, in the end they were not included in the legislation that facilitated same-sex marriage.
“As I indicated on November 15 when the results of the survey were known, I said that ‘as a Federal Member of Parliament, I would always respect the majority view within my electorate in determining my position on this issue in the Parliament, regardless of my own personal views on the religious definition of marriage’.
“I have honoured the commitment I made to facilitate the passage of the legislation to allow same-sex marriage if it were carried in a survey, and I have honoured the commitment that was made to try to ensure freedom of religion, speech and conscience were incorporated into the legislation.”