Don't have a LGBT damaging plebiscite - Nationals MP

Nationals MP (the party that voted over 80% not to have a conscience) Trevor Khan, as part of the Canberra senate inquiry into which way forward for marriage equality, gave deep concerns about the prospect of a community dividing and LGBT damaging plebiscite. His comments are all the more significant given the very conservative party he's part of.

But the majority of witnesses to a committee last night said it should be up to Parliament. 

Nationals MP Trevor Khan, from the New South Wales Upper House, warned against exposing young gay people to the sort of public debate that would be caused by a plebiscite. 

"For teenage LGBTI youth who may be going through the decisions as to whether they are going to come out — to be bombarded over what would be a period of months — is potentially extremely destructive," he said. 

"We know that with regards to LGBTI youth, their rate of suicide and self harm is something in the order of six times higher than the general population, so the reality is we are looking at the prospect of doing serious damage to children out of this debate." 

Mr Khan, who is a member of the State Parliamentary working group on marriage equality, said he believed a plebiscite would deliver a vote for same-sex marriage. 

But he told the committee Parliament should ultimately decide. "The constitution gave all of you the authority to make laws with respect to marriage. It didn't give it to you to flick pass to another mechanism," he said. 

"You should have the courage to deal with it. If what is the outcome is that we lose one child or damage one child because it was thought this was a convenient way of dealing with it, then you as legislators have failed." more

Here he is from 2013 in the New South Wales parliament, very funny and well spoken.