Westpac sent an email to staff urging them to vote yes to gay marriage, claiming it would prevent 3,000 suicides a year.
The message from the bank’s youth network, representing staff under 30, was sent to 10,000 of 40,000 staff and called voting yes a ‘no brainer’.
But the bank admitted its statistic used in the email was a mistake and actually referred to research only talking about suicide attempts.
Westpac sent an email to staff urging them to vote yes to gay marriage, claiming it would prevent 3,000 suicides a year
‘We said that we would get that information clarified to the staff and we will do that,’ Westpac spokesman David Lording told The Australian.
The email brought up an open letter Westpac signed last year, along with other prominent Australian companies, supporting gay marriage.
‘While we’re not one to tell anyone how to roll, this is a no-brainer (if Tony Abbott’s daughter is publicly voting yes, so should you),’ it read.
‘Along with ensuring all our colleagues and mates feel included and have equal rights, legalising SSM would prevent 3000 suicides per year.’
The bank admitted its statistic used in the email was a mistake and actually referred to research only talking about suicide attempts
The bank in a statement distanced itself from the email, calling the youth network ‘a group of young, enthusiastic Westpac employees who get together to discuss a range of issues’.
But former Australian Securities Exchange and ABC chairman Maurice Newman questioned whether gay marriage was something companies should be ‘occupying their time with’.
‘It is a dangerous precedent for companies to come out and prosecute social issues. That is for politicians,’ he said.
Liberal senator Matt Canavan said it was ‘contemptible’ to use suicide to ‘blackmail other Australians with guilt’ into voting yes in the ongoing postal vote.
The message from the bank’s youth network, representing staff under 30, was sent to 10,000 of 40,000 staff and called voting yes a ‘no brainer’
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton, also an opponent of gay marriage, said companies and sporting bodies like the AFL should stay out of politics.
‘Why are these companies involved in political campaigns?’ he told 2GB radio.
‘Stick to your knitting. I don’t want sporting organisations or groups involved in delivering banking services telling us how to live our lives.’
The email’s claim relied on a September 21 press release by the University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre telling Australians to consider the link between LGBTI discrimination and suicide.
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton, an opponent of gay marriage, said companies and sporting bodies like the AFL should stay out of politics
It said as many as 3,000 youth suicide attempts a year could be prevented if gay marriage was made legal.
That claim relied on U.S. research published in April in JAMA Paediatrics finding a seven per cent reduction in suicide attempts by high school students from gay marriage being instituted.
The research was disputed by other academics as the motives for suicide attempts weren’t reported and there was often not a ‘single cause’.
Last year there were 2,866 suicides, down from 3,027 the year before, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.