Australia: Homosexual marriage plebiscite to cost $525m, PwC flawed modelling shows
Key points:
· PwC modelling finds gay marriage plebiscite would result in $280m in lost productivity
· That cost comes on top of $158m for nationwide campaign
· Other costs included impact on mental health and wellbeing of LGBTI community
· Cost would be reduced to $113m if the plebiscite was held at same time as election
Modelling undertaken by accounting firm PwC says it would result in $280 million of lost productivity, on top of the cost of running the nationwide campaign, estimated at $158 million by the Australian Electoral Commission.
The cost to the community of funding the two campaigns for and against the proposal would cost $66 million, while the impact on the mental health and wellbeing of the gay and lesbian community amounts to $20 million.
In a statement, the Australian Christian Lobby criticised the report and PwC, saying the figures lacked objective credibility.
"[PwC] is a public supporter of same-sex marriage and of Australian Marriage Equality, who are working on the yes case for the plebiscite," a spokesman for ACL said.
"Having voiced such strong public support for same-sex marriage, PwC is not an unbiased source of information when it comes to the plebiscite or in efforts to redefine marriage."
Liberal senator Eric Abetz described the report as "skewed" and questioned how PwC calculated the cost of lost productivity as a result of holding the plebiscite on a Saturday. "Because, quite frankly, to try to take into account and double the figure on the basis of the time taken to vote as being a factor basically says, 'look, let's get rid of democracy; each time people go to the polling booth it costs them $281 million'," he said.
"And of course it doesn't take into account the costs on the other side of this debate — people who feel strongly, who will feel depressed about a change if it were to occur as a result of a plebiscite."
The cost to the community of funding the two campaigns for and against the proposal would cost $66 million, while the impact on the mental health and wellbeing of the gay and lesbian community amounts to $20 million.
In a statement, the Australian Christian Lobby criticised the report and PwC, saying the figures lacked objective credibility.
"[PwC] is a public supporter of same-sex marriage and of Australian Marriage Equality, who are working on the yes case for the plebiscite," a spokesman for ACL said.
"Having voiced such strong public support for same-sex marriage, PwC is not an unbiased source of information when it comes to the plebiscite or in efforts to redefine marriage."
Liberal senator Eric Abetz described the report as "skewed" and questioned how PwC calculated the cost of lost productivity as a result of holding the plebiscite on a Saturday. "Because, quite frankly, to try to take into account and double the figure on the basis of the time taken to vote as being a factor basically says, 'look, let's get rid of democracy; each time people go to the polling booth it costs them $281 million'," he said.
"And of course it doesn't take into account the costs on the other side of this debate — people who feel strongly, who will feel depressed about a change if it were to occur as a result of a plebiscite."
