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| Young Liberals fear contact details passed to anti-marriage equality group | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Liberal party members are concerned their contact details have been passed on to Marriage Alliance after receiving campaign material from the anti-marriage equality group despite not signing up to its mailing list. | Liberal party members are concerned their contact details have been passed on to Marriage Alliance after receiving campaign material from the anti-marriage equality group despite not signing up to its mailing list. |
| Related: Shorten: Labor won't change discrimination laws to please same-sex marriage opponents | Related: Shorten: Labor won't change discrimination laws to please same-sex marriage opponents |
| The NSW Liberal party has confirmed it has received complaints about emails from the Marriage Alliance spokeswoman Sophie York attacking Labor’s position on marriage equality. | The NSW Liberal party has confirmed it has received complaints about emails from the Marriage Alliance spokeswoman Sophie York attacking Labor’s position on marriage equality. |
| The Marriage Alliance emails include an inflammatory claim Labor would make exercise of religious freedom illegal and called for donations and volunteers to oppose same-sex marriage in an upcoming plebiscite. | The Marriage Alliance emails include an inflammatory claim Labor would make exercise of religious freedom illegal and called for donations and volunteers to oppose same-sex marriage in an upcoming plebiscite. |
| One sent on 13 March complains that Labor politicians have been “told to vote for gay marriage or leave” and calls Senator Joe Bullock, who resigned over the issue, “another voice bullied into silence”. | One sent on 13 March complains that Labor politicians have been “told to vote for gay marriage or leave” and calls Senator Joe Bullock, who resigned over the issue, “another voice bullied into silence”. |
| Another email sent on Tuesday criticised the opposition leader, Bill Shorten, for promising that should a Liberal government introduce exemptions for businesses to refuse services for gay weddings, Labor would repeal them. Shorten made the comments at Guardian Australia’s marriage equality event “Why Knot?” on Thursday. | Another email sent on Tuesday criticised the opposition leader, Bill Shorten, for promising that should a Liberal government introduce exemptions for businesses to refuse services for gay weddings, Labor would repeal them. Shorten made the comments at Guardian Australia’s marriage equality event “Why Knot?” on Thursday. |
| That email prompted Wollondilly Young Liberals vice-president of development, Jeremy Travers, to write to the NSW Liberal party on Tuesday complaining about the possible use of party membership lists by Marriage Alliance. | That email prompted Wollondilly Young Liberals vice-president of development, Jeremy Travers, to write to the NSW Liberal party on Tuesday complaining about the possible use of party membership lists by Marriage Alliance. |
| “I have been informed by a few Young Liberals and former Young Liberals that they too have received this email and they are not subscribed to any email list from Marriage Alliance,” he said. | “I have been informed by a few Young Liberals and former Young Liberals that they too have received this email and they are not subscribed to any email list from Marriage Alliance,” he said. |
| “Therefore, I would like to request an investigation into whether the party, an employee or a member gave Marriage Alliance access to membership lists or whether Marriage Alliance illegally or improperly accessed the lists.” | “Therefore, I would like to request an investigation into whether the party, an employee or a member gave Marriage Alliance access to membership lists or whether Marriage Alliance illegally or improperly accessed the lists.” |
| Guardian Australia has spoken to one former Young Liberal member who resigned in 2012 who had “never touched the Marriage Alliance, but got their communications anyway”. | Guardian Australia has spoken to one former Young Liberal member who resigned in 2012 who had “never touched the Marriage Alliance, but got their communications anyway”. |
| A second person who was a financial member of the NSW Liberals between 2005 and 2012 said they received the 5 April email despite never having any involvement in Marriage Alliance. | A second person who was a financial member of the NSW Liberals between 2005 and 2012 said they received the 5 April email despite never having any involvement in Marriage Alliance. |
| The NSW Liberal party told Guardian Australia “the Liberal party has received several complaints and is currently investigating the matter”. | The NSW Liberal party told Guardian Australia “the Liberal party has received several complaints and is currently investigating the matter”. |
| Related: Joe Bullock quits Senate over Labor's compulsory support of marriage equality | Related: Joe Bullock quits Senate over Labor's compulsory support of marriage equality |
| The Coalition government’s policy is to hold a plebiscite on marriage equality after the next election. It has not yet decided the question for a plebiscite or whether it would allow exemptions to anti-discrimination law. | The Coalition government’s policy is to hold a plebiscite on marriage equality after the next election. It has not yet decided the question for a plebiscite or whether it would allow exemptions to anti-discrimination law. |
| Marriage Alliance has come under scrutiny for links to the Liberal party, including that York has previously run as a Liberal party candidate in Brendan Nelson’s former seat of Bradfield. | Marriage Alliance has come under scrutiny for links to the Liberal party, including that York has previously run as a Liberal party candidate in Brendan Nelson’s former seat of Bradfield. |
| Guardian Australia contacted York and Marriage Alliance for comment. | Guardian Australia contacted York and Marriage Alliance for comment. |
| A spokesman for PR firm Hugo Halliday, Nathaniel Smith, told Guardian Australia the firm had acted for Marriage Alliance in 2015 but only handled its media relations, not email campaigns. Smith denied Hugo Halliday or its employees were involved in accessing Liberal members’ contact details. “We didn’t have anything to do with that.” | A spokesman for PR firm Hugo Halliday, Nathaniel Smith, told Guardian Australia the firm had acted for Marriage Alliance in 2015 but only handled its media relations, not email campaigns. Smith denied Hugo Halliday or its employees were involved in accessing Liberal members’ contact details. “We didn’t have anything to do with that.” |
| The 5 April Marriage Alliance email claimed that “Shorten said that under no circumstances would he allow for religious freedoms to be considered if the Marriage Act were to be redefined in Australia to include same-sex marriage”. | The 5 April Marriage Alliance email claimed that “Shorten said that under no circumstances would he allow for religious freedoms to be considered if the Marriage Act were to be redefined in Australia to include same-sex marriage”. |
| Shorten’s position was that Labor would not allow changes to discrimination law, which prohibits discrimination based on sexuality – such as bakers refusing to make cakes for same-sex weddings. He did not oppose provisions in same-sex marriage bills which would allow ministers of religion to refuse to perform ceremonies. | Shorten’s position was that Labor would not allow changes to discrimination law, which prohibits discrimination based on sexuality – such as bakers refusing to make cakes for same-sex weddings. He did not oppose provisions in same-sex marriage bills which would allow ministers of religion to refuse to perform ceremonies. |
| Nevertheless, the email claimed “in a direct attack on people of every faith in this country, the Labor party has sent a very clear message – we do not respect your views, we do not respect your values, and we will make them illegal”. | Nevertheless, the email claimed “in a direct attack on people of every faith in this country, the Labor party has sent a very clear message – we do not respect your views, we do not respect your values, and we will make them illegal”. |