On the occasion of your first visit to our region as Prime Minister, we would like to ask you on behalf of south-west Victoria to allow your party a conscience vote on the matter of same-sex marriage.

We concede not everyone in this region supports marriage equality, but we believe the majority do. We also believe it is the right thing to do. 

At the risk of alienating some of our readers, we feel this is an issue worth standing up for. There is a mood for change – one that has already swept through New Zealand, Ireland, the UK and the USA – and it’s time Australia stood on the right side of history.

We believe that the love shared by two consenting adults is a love worthy of the institution of marriage, regardless of whether they are man and woman, man and man, or woman and woman.

Mr Abbott, in the interest of equality, compassion and love, we ask you to do the right thing and stop standing in the way of same-sex marriage in Australia.

Yours sincerely,

The Standard