Federal Labor MP Terri Butler has labelled Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull a "traitor" to the cause of marriage equality after he continued to back a plebiscite on the issue.
Ms Butler asked the prime minister in Question Time yesterday whether he would allow a free vote on the cross-party marriage equality bill currently before the parliament.
"The coalition government's policy is that the matter of legalising same sex marriage will be determined by a plebiscite, by a national vote, in which every single Australian will have a vote," Mr Turnbull responded.
Ms Butler said that before he was appointed prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull claimed to be a strong champion for a free vote on marriage equality, but yesterday proved himself a "traitor to the cause of marriage equality in Australia".
“Despite saying hand on heart that he did not want marriage equality to be a live issue all the way up to the next election, Malcolm Turnbull is using the same obstructing tactics as his predecessor, Tony Abbott,” Ms Butler said in a statement following Question Time yesterday.
“It is disappointing that he sold-out to buy-off the hard right of the Liberal party and wrest the leadership from Tony Abbott."
Ms Butler said a plebiscite would be nothing more than an "exorbitantly expensive opinion poll" that will achieve nothing.
"By the Australian Electoral Commission’s own figures, a plebiscite would cost up to $160 million; and constitutional law experts have said that it would be of no legal effect," she said.
The prime minister conceded there would be higher costs involved with a plebiscite in his response to Ms Butler's question yesterday.
"Yes, it will cost more money. Yes, in my view, it will be carried, but time will tell. I will certainly vote for it, but it will be a national vote," he said.
