MEMBER for Wannon Dan Tehan has moved to dispel speculation about his position on the issue of same-sex marriage.
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After Channel Nine ran a story on Sunday that he had refused to say whether he would abide by a national plebiscite on same-sex marriage, Mr Tehan told The Standard he would respect the result of a plebiscite.
The story emerged after Mr Tehan was quizzed on ABC TV about suggestions Coalition MPs, including ministers, would be free to oppose the result if their electorates voted in a majority against.
When asked what he would do if constituents in Wannon said no to same-sex marriage, Mr Tehan told ABC TV on Sunday: "I don't know what they will say."
But on Monday he said he would work to implement whatever the outcome of the plebiscite was.
He said he was concerned that opposition parties might block the Coalition’s move for a plebiscite on same-sex marriage if it won government.
“I want to make sure that if we win the election, that Labor and the Greens support our mandate for a plebiscite,” Mr Tehan said.
He said he was concerned the move for a plebiscite might still be blocked in the Senate even if the Coalition won government.
On Britain’s vote to leave the European Union, Mr Tehan said it revealed the British people wanted their government to have control over who immigrated to Britain.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull made the same call at the Liberals’ launch on Sunday when he said it was very important that the government ran the immigration system and not people smugglers, Mr Tehan said.
Britain’s vote also indicated “the (EU’s) bureaucracy’s reach from Brussels into all walks of life was something that people had difficulty with,” he said.
The vote also showed British taxpayers were concerned about how much they were paying for the EU’s expansion, Mr Tehan said.