Ballarat MP Catherine King is the latest federal politician to weigh into the controversial debate on same-sex marriages in Australia.
Ms King has used her official parliamentary website to launch an online survey asking constituents for their views.
A House of Representatives motion passed last year called for all MPs to gauge community attitudes on the issue, but Ms King is one of only a handful of MPs to launch formal surveys ahead of a planned debate at Labor’s December national conference.
Human Services and Social Inclusion Minister Tanya Plibersek and opposition frontbenchers Julie Bishop and Malcolm Turnbull have all launched similar surveys.
The short online questionnaire asks participants to respond to the party’s stated definition of marriage — as being between a man and a woman. It then asks respondents if they have raised the issue with their elected representatives previously.
Ms King would not respond to questions about her personal position on same-sex marriage, but said it had been raised with her in emails, petitions and personal representations.
Her position before last year’s federal election was in line with the ALP policy.
“It is clear from this that there are mixed views in our community on the issue,” Ms King said in a written statement.
“While the government currently does not recognise same-sex marriages, it does believe that couples who have committed to sharing their lives together should be able to have their relationships recognised by law,” she said,
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