Policy work on “bread-and-butter” issues does not preclude the government from examining gay marriage, Tanya Plibersek says.

The Social Inclusion Minister said dealing with day-to-day issues could be achieved without dropping other areas of concern to the public.

She told Sky News’ Australian Agenda yesterday that a debate on gay marriage at Labor’s national conference next year was important, “because obviously there’s been some movement in the Labor Party and some movement in the community”.

“I think it’s possible for a political party to concentrate on those bread-and-butter issues to keep the economy strong, to keep unemployment low, to keep a lid on interest rates, do all of those things that do matter to the majority of Australian families, and at the same time strive for equality for all of our citizens,” Ms Plibersek said.

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