We may never know how many Tasmanian politicians voted against same-sex marriage because they agree with the member for Apsley that ‘most Tasmanians are against it’. But the logic is worrying; governments need to act with prudence and discretion when making controversial reforms, but public policy should not be decided by counting heads.
The idea that an elected member ought to follow a majority view misunderstands democratic theory, which says only that the representatives of the majority have a better right to make the rules than any other group. Whether the rules they choose to make are wise or moral is a different matter, to be judged by community values including human dignity and wellbeing, fairness, freedom, honesty, compassion etc.