Former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke and his wife Blanche d’Alpuget have thrown their support behind same-sex marriage.
In a video shared by the Australian Marriage Equality campaign, Mr Hawke was seen ticking ‘Yes’ for the gay marriage postal vote.
Hawke, who was Australia’s longest serving prime minister, joins a number of former and current politicians in favour of legalising gay marriage.
Former Australian PM Bob Hawke and wife Blanche d’Alpuget are voting ‘Yes’ for gay marriage
Hawke, who was Australia’s longest serving prime minister, joins a number of former and current politicians in favour of legalising same-sex marriage
‘Our campaign is delighted to have the support of one of the greatest Australian Prime Ministers,’ openly gay MP and Equality co-chair Alex Greenwich said.
‘He is a man who has always believed in a fair go and this is simply what our campaign is about.
‘Bob Hawke is showing leadership for a fair go and like millions of Australians wants to get this done.
‘Every Australian should be treated with the same dignity and respect and that is why we encourage everyone to vote YES and post back their survey immediately.’
Hawke, 87, has been a long-standing supporter of same-sex marriage.
‘I’m very much in favour of the law being changed to enable marriage between gay people,’ he said during a fundraiser alongside John Howard in 2012.
Mr Hawke (pictured right enjoying a beer during the cricket earlier this year) has been a long-standing supporter of same-sex marriage
His wife, famous writer Blanche d’Alpuget, was featured in a video shared by the Australian Marriage Equality campaign
It comes as a new opinion poll has revealed a dip in support for gay marriage.
The fortnightly Newspoll shows backing for redefining the Marriage Act has dropped from 63 per cent in August to 57 per cent now, with a majority of conservative voters opposed to change.
The slide in support for same-sex marriage occurred as voters received unsolicited text messages from the ‘Yes’ campaign and female protesters stormed the Coalition for Marriage’s Melbourne ‘No’ case launch on Saturday.
The drop in support has also coincided with former Liberal prime minister John Howard sounding a warning about religious freedom and Tony Abbott allegedly being headbutted in Hobart.
The proportion of voters opposed to same-sex marriage has risen from 30 per cent to 34 per cent, The Australian reported.
It comes as a new opinion poll has revealed a huge drop in support for gay marriage