Canberra: An Australian politician on Tuesday said the process of a same-sex marriage vote will now be accelerated under the guidance of new Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Warren Entsch, a vocal campaigner for same-sex marriage, said under the leadership of former premier Tony Abbott, the issue could have been “kicked off into the sunset” and he thought the public would now take the policy seriously, ABC reported.
“I think the process will be accelerated, which I think is great, so we’ll see it happen sooner,” Entsch said.
“People will believe it, they won’t think (a plebiscite) is a trick to avoid an outcome.”
Since coming into power, Turnbull has agreed to maintain the existing Government policy and hold a national vote on the issue after the next election.
Entsch, who introduced a cross-party same-sex marriage bill in parliament earlier this year, said he now expected controversial aspects of the plebiscite to be decided much sooner.
“We’ll have a date and I hope we have the question … before we go to the polls, so people know what they’re voting on and they’ll know when it’s going to happen,” he said.
“I think it will be successful,” he added.
IANS