A friend of mine wrote this.

I tell you this, dear reader, not to distance myself from its message, but ensure you that as much as I would love to take the credit for it, I did not write it myself. I am proud to know my friends.

Debbie Jackson

Tomorrow lots of us go back to work, tomorrow our politicians go back to “work” (okay that could be a topic for a completely different argument). Anyhow I’m going to put forward my very lengthy “personal opinion” about marriage equality and how I think that decision should be made. I am stressing it is my personal opinion but put it forward for your consideration.

I am the mother of 5 children who I love dearly. They were raised by the same mother and the same father, they are loved equally, treated equally and were raised the same way, they played the same sports, lived in the same home by the same rules.

With all things being the same, some would suggest that they should be identical but guess what some are blonde, some have sandy brown hair, some have straight hair and some have curls, some have freckles, some have birthmarks, some are olive skinned, some are fair skinned, none are the same height, they got different results at school, they did different subjects, they have gone into different careers.I think the only thing that I can think of that they all have the same is blue eyes but even they are different shades of blue. This business of genetics is out of control!! It is a matter of genetics but genetics still allows a million differences between siblings. The same two people created 5 completely unique but beautiful and amazing human beings. And guess what one of our wonderful children is gay.

For those who know us or him this was never a big surprise, nor has it ever been a big secret,and we have all been there to support him in exactly the same way that every one of our children is supported with love and not judgement. Sexuality is just one other area of differences between people. It did not change how we or the rest of the family loved him or treated him from the moment he was born till today and onwards for the rest of his life.

A person’s sexuality is not good or bad, definitely not evil, it is just a difference, it is what it is, just like blue eyes compared to brown or green eyes. So what does this have to do with politicians?

Well tomorrow they go back to discussing marriage equality and a plebiscite. These politicians have been elected by Australians, whether or not you agree with who got elected is irrelevant. They have been elected and they are being paid (handsomely) to make decisions by the people who elected them. But it would appear rather than do their paid job and make a decision they wish to spend another $160 million dollars to hold a plebiscite, because they don’t want to make the decision on behalf of their electorate or State in the case of the Senate.

No they are not going to give back their wages during the period of the plebiscite when we take over making decisions for them.

This country that has a reasonably small population and a much smaller workforce. Can we afford a $160 million plebiscite just to help politicians avoid sticking their hands up and making a decision for fear of offending anyone. Well guess what you can’t please all of the people all of the time but at least have the intestinal fortitude to make a decision. If you are not willing to make a decision don’t stand for politics.

This $160 million will have the effect of putting further divisions in this country, causing hurt and hate and further moving this country away from being a place where people are given a fair go, the lucky country, a place where diversity on which our history has prided itself is no longer acceptable.

But more than that imagine what we as a country could achieve with that $160 million – improving this country’s roads; fixing identified black spots where there have been multiple fatalities; or putting boom gates or red lights on level rail crossings that have claimed lives; or increasing Australia’s organ donation levels; or putting money into research for effective treatments or cures for Cancer, Alzheimers, dementia, MS, MND or a myriad of other horrific diseases touching the lives of people every day; flood proofing roads; infrastructure for rural and regional Australia; or more nurses, police and teachers; reforming the aged care system so that older Australians have the basic right of care in their old age; or a million other things that if we really can afford $160 million dollars would make genuine improvements in the lives of so many Australians.

Do we really want to waste $160 million to effectively try and avoid our elected officials making the decision to treat all consenting adults equally. If our politicians were serious about a plebescite, it should have been done at the same time as the election as that would have at least saved some money. The marriage equality decision has already been made by a myriad of other countries without any change to the sun rising and setting in those countries or their day to day operation or the lives of all residents of those countries.

As a country, we expect and gladly accept the taxes of Australia’s LGBTI community, shouldn’t they be given the right to be treated equally when it comes to marriage equality, if as consenting adults, they would like to marry.

I understand that there will be people that don’t agree with my personal opinion and that is okay because that what it means to not judge others and be accepting of others. All I want is for politicians to do their job and not avoid it at a great expense that this country cannot afford or if it can there are lots better ways to spend the money. If politiician’s decision is not to treat all Australians equally when it comes to marriage equality, I accept that and as a consequence, each Australian gets to make their own decision around their local politician’s stance on any and all of their decisions during their term of government, at the next election.