Former senator Jacqui Lambie has come out swinging on Q&A and defended Australians who voted against marriage equality, of which she was one.
As Attorney General George Brandis praised the final result on Monday night, Lambie quipped there are ’40 per cent of Australians hurting right now’.
After 61 per cent voted in favour of reforming the marriage act, it has been a week of mixed reactions from same-sex couples getting engaged to Christian protesters defacing LGBTQI murals in Sydney’s inner west.
As Attorney General George Brandis praised the final result on Monday night, Lambie quipped there are ’40 per cent of Australians hurting right now’
But the outgoing Independent senator for Tasmania made it clear which side of the vote she was on, stating to the Q&A panel she stands with those ‘in pain’ right now.
‘There is still 40 per cent of those Australians that lost out on that vote and they are feeling the hurt from that. I don’t hear anyone talking about that which I find quite disturbing,’ she said.
‘Congratulations, you won. I was part of that 37 per cent that said no because of my religious beliefs.
‘I’ve made it very clear to Tasmanians when I was a senator if the majority voted for that, I would vote with them. That was part of my job and I have no problem with that.’
She proceeded to give an example of a ‘bloke who rang two weeks ago’ who didn’t want to marry homosexual couples in his garden (‘No’ voters protesting are pictured)
The former senator quit parliament the day before the same-sex postal vote was announced after it was revealed she is a British dual citizen on her father’s side
She proceeded to give an example of a ‘bloke who rang two weeks ago’ who didn’t want to marry homosexual couples in his garden.
Lambie said people were being left in ‘limbo’ and should be allowed to stand by their religious beliefs in predicaments like that.
‘This is what you’re doing to people because you’re going out there, bull at a bloody gate as politicians do and yet they haven’t filled in the gaps,’ she said, her voice rising.
‘How long are these people going to have to go through more pain? They’ve lost. They’re feeling the pain. How much longer do they have to feel more pain?’
The former senator quit parliament the day before the same-sex postal vote was announced after it was revealed she is a British dual citizen on her father’s side.
She said despite the result it would not end her career in politics.