David Kalisch, head of the ABS told the Senate committee his bureau had held “early discussions” on a contingency plan with the Department of Finance.
“We have given thought to what some other funding options and opportunities might be,” he said, speaking to the Senate’s finance committee.
The ABS has already spent more than $14 million preparing ballot papers, advertising and IT systems for the survey, which was scheduled to commence on Tuesday.
The High Court will announce its decision just after 2.15pm on Thursday afternoon on whether or not the government’s current plan to draw $120 million for the vote from a fund for “urgent and unforeseen” is legal under the Constitution.
Same-sex marriage advocates and independent MP Andrew Wilkie are bringing the case against the poll.
They argue the government does not have the right to spend Treasury funds on the ballot without passing an act through parliament.
Mr Kalisch would not disclose any further details about what other funding mechanisms might be considered.
But he said he believed the direction from the Treasurer Scott Morrison to conduct the poll was “somewhat separate” from the “funding dimensions”, so an adverse finding from the judges would not necessarily kill-off the survey.
Share
