On his bike: Tony Abbott at the Pollie Peddle ride. Photo: Pat Scala

Tony Abbott has doused expectations of any change on same-sex unions in the next Parliament, predicting that a significant majority of Coalition MPs will share his strong opposition to gay marriage.

Mr Abbott has dismissed speculation that he would facilitate a conscience vote in the Coalition party room after the September election, telling Fairfax Media he did not anticipate ”much enthusiasm” to revisit the issue.

”I don’t think anyone should expect that this is necessarily going to come up in the next parliament,” Mr Abbott said in an exclusive interview.

”It will ultimately be a matter for the post-election party room if it comes up, but I am strongly opposed to any change and I imagine that a strong majority in the Coalition party room will remain opposed to any change.”

In the interview, Mr Abbott also:

■Signalled the Coalition would unveil ”significant, but not scary” changes to workplace laws when it suited tactically, saying no one should assume further changes would follow in the second term of an Abbott government.

■Recommitted himself to implementing his promised paid parental leave scheme in full in the first term should he win the election.

■Promised a hard line on asylum seekers found to be refugees but deemed security threats by ASIO, declaring: ”People should not come illegally to this country. That’s the bottom line, mate.”

Mr Abbott said the issue of same-sex marriage had been subject to a vote in this Parliament that was ”fairly decisive”.

Although the Coalition had not allowed a free vote, he believed a dozen – ”at most” – Coalition MPs would have voted in favour of change. ”So it still would have been pretty decisively beaten, regardless of the fact that we didn’t have a free vote,” he said.

”Now, an incoming Coalition government is going to have a lot on its plate, so I can’t see much enthusiasm for having another go at this from the Coalition. That’s not to say that others might have a go at it.”

Mr Abbott conceded that his sister, Christine, who is gay, is a passionate supporter of change and that his wife and three daughters were ”probably less traditional than I am on this one”.

But he said they did not see the issue as a No.1 priority, and likened expectations of change to the republican debate in the 1990s. ”Everyone thought a republic was inevitable as well, and no one thinks it’s inevitable any time soon now.”

On asylum seekers, Mr Abbott said he would be dismayed if, by the end of the first term of a Coalition government, ”we hadn’t substantially stopped the flow”.

Pressed on which of the Coalition’s three policy tools – offshore processing, temporary protection visas and turning back boats when safe – would have the most impact, Mr Abbott said: ”I think all of them are important, but there’s a fourth which is critical as well, and that’s having much better relationships with Indonesia.”

Mr Abbott would not commit to continue with reviews of adverse ASIO assessments by former judge Margaret Stone, saying: ”Without wanting to say that an adverse ASIO assessment is identical to the finding of a court, almost anyone who has had an adverse finding made against that person is going to regard it as unfair and will have a story.

”Now, whether the story is credible or whether the story does in fact render unjustified the adverse assessment, well that’s a matter for judgment. So, look, let’s see what this process produces.”

He rejected alternatives to detention for those whose adverse assessments were upheld.

”Anybody who turns up illegally in Australia cannot expect to subjected to anything other than rigorous processes,” he said.

”And, if the processes produce an adverse finding, well, they’ve got to expect potentially a long period of detention – indefinite detention – unless another country is prepared to take them or unless they are prepared to go back to the country where they came from.”

Author: Michael Gordon
Publication: The Age
Publication Date: May 4 2013