The Australian points out that the Prime Minister confronts two dangers associated with the postal vote: the first danger is a defeat in the High Court, the second danger is a boycott of the postal vote.
The Australian says Malcolm Turnbull is confident of victory by Christmas on same-sex marriage but confronts two dangers that could test the political maturity of a Liberal Party.
The first danger is a defeat in the High Court, resulting in prompting the government to hold a conscience vote on marriage equality as soon as possible.
However, the paper assumes that given Liberal dynamics, the Liberal Party would step back from a free vote and go back to the pledge to hold a compulsory plebiscite. The paper says this is madness, a way to prolong the infighting.
The second danger is a boycott of the postal vote. In this case, as the paper argues, the credibility of the outcome will be questioned and deepens the Liberal divisions. The Opposition Leader benefits if the boycott undermines the outcome.
It pointedly says, although the High Court agrees with the governments lawyers, the calls for a boycott are growing.
The Australian argues that the conscience vote used by Robert Menzies and John Howard to settle the social questions that split the party is the safety valve.
