The Greens have announced they will vote against legislation to have a plebiscite over same-sex marriage.
They say such a move is harmful, and the issue should instead be decided by the Parliament.
“We can do that quickly. We can do that next week should the prime minister decide to show some leadership,” Richard Di Natale told reporters in Melbourne.
Di Natale is hoping Labor, Nick Xenophon and Derryn Hinch - who have also voiced concerns over a plebiscite - to join with the Greens and block the plebiscite legislation.
“We call on Bill Shorten in the Labor Party, indeed all of the crossbenchers, to support the Greens in coming forward in saying they will not support legislation that enables a plebiscite under any circumstances,” he said.
“A plebiscite will be harmful, it’ll be divisive, it’ll be expensive and we should never put questions of human rights to an opinion poll.
“We know that if a plebiscite is to go ahead that young people are at risk. We’ve heard loudly and clearly from people within the LGBTIQ community, from parents, from people within the health sphere, from the Australian Psychological Society – all of whom have said to us a plebiscite has the potential to harm young people and that we will most likely see young people take their lives if this plebiscite goes ahead and the hate that will come with that is unleashed."
