Australian Coalition says no to same sex marriage - but will LGBT keep fighting so kids can't have a mum and dad?
Australian Christian Lobby Managing Director Lyle Shelton thanked the Prime Minister and Coalition Senators and Members for speaking so clearly.
"The Prime Minister and Coalition parliamentarians have shown great courage and leadership in speaking for marriage at a time when a powerful minority have made it difficult to speak.
"Tonight's decision means all Australians remain free to speak what they believe about marriage without fear. It is so important we keep speaking without fear about the benefits of marriage and why its definition should be preserved.
"Coalition parliamentarians have shown great courage in staring down a determined political campaign driven by a small minority who have co-opted the media, celebrities and even corporate Australia.
"It is clear from polling that same-sex marriage remains, as it was at the previous election, a low order issue with voters.
"Ethnic voters, religious voters and voters of no faith who believe marriage is between one man and one women will be very attracted to the Coalition at the next election.
"No doubt debate will continue and that's fine. That is the right of every citizen in a free society. But it is important that words like 'bigot' are set aside and that the demonization of marriage supporters now ceases.
"All Australians should be free to participate without fear at work because of boardroom decisions to back a political position or because television stations refuse to air pro-marriage advertisements.
"Christian schools should remain free to distribute Christian teaching about marriage without fear of being reported to human rights commissions."
Mr Shelton said he hoped a pall of political correctness would now lift off the nation.
"No thinking people on our side of the debate bear any hate or animus toward same-sex attracted people or their relationships. But we do want to remain free to believe and speak about what we know to be true about marriage."
Despite years of relentless media and celebrity championing of same-sex marriage Australians still think it is a low order issue and want a more informed debate.
This morning's release of a Sexton Marketing poll that found same-sex marriage ranked 13th of the political issues people were most concerned with.
Australian Christian Lobby Managing Director Lyle Shelton said ACL-commissioned polling by JWS Research in the wake of the 2013 federal election also found it was a low order issue.
"Despite all the hype, Australian's legendary scepticism of media-driven elite opinion remains healthy," Mr Shelton said.
The Sexton poll, commissioned by the Marriage Alliance, found that Australians did not wish to be rushed into a decision on changing the definition of marriage and wanted a more informed debate.
"It is clear that people don't fully know what 'marriage equality' and 'equal love' mean and they want more time.
"ACL has been calling for a more mature debate and it is good to see public discussion emerging that now recognises there are serious consequences to freedom of conscience and children's rights.
"There are millions of Australian's of ethnic background, faith and no faith who will never accept a politician-imposed redefinition of marriage.
"These people are not bigots or homophobes, they just want to always be free to publicly express their views."
Mr Shelton said Channel 7 and Channel 10's decision to refuse to run the Marriage Alliance's advertisement giving the other side of the debate only reinforced peoples' suspicions about the political agenda of the same-sex marriage lobby.
"It was disappointing to see the leader of the same-sex marriage political campaign, Rodney Croome, writing in today's Australian that it should be illegal for religious schools to teach the school's values on marriage.
"People are rightly concerned about where this agenda might take our society and experience overseas of people being legally punished and drummed from their jobs for believing in the traditional definition of marriage only reinforces this."
Mr Shelton said it was interesting that even the Get-Up organisations' members only rated same-sex marriage as a 16th order priority.
