Fair to say that this is a complex and emotional argument with...

Fair to say that this is a complex and emotional argument with strong feelings held both FOR and AGAINST gay marriage by the public. General discussion certainly reveals a wide range of views on this issue and for this reason, I believe that the question should be asked of ALL voting Australians at a Referendum to be held in conjunction with the next Federal Election.
Labor/Greens want this voted on in the Parliament because they believe that they have the numbers to win the case..... whether they get a conscience vote or are forced to toe the party line remains to be seen however, if the Left faction get their way, the latter will be the case. ( Strange then that they are trying to bully Tony Abbott into letting his party have a conscience vote ) ???

It seems most unfair to saddle each Parliamentarian with the responsibility of casting a vote on behalf of their constituents without knowing what each constituent really thinks. His/her vote will either reflect their own personal views coupled with the influence of a heavily biased media and the ever present commentators/shock-jocks or,
they will be voting the party-line.
Either way their votes will not accurately portray what Australian's want for the future of their country, so it does seem to be a very poor arrangement for a decision of such importance to be made.
A Referendum on Gay Marriage asking for a YES or NO answer is the only fair way to hear what the majority of Australian people truly want and believe .

If the YES vote wins, it becomes enshrined in Law...permanently. If the NO vote wins, there is always tomorrow for the supporters of gay marriage ...let's be sure, let's not get rushed into this because a few other countries have decided YES. ( It would be interesting to learn about any positives/negatives arising since their acceptance of gay marriage).

There is no rush,( although certain people would like us to think that there is)...let's do it right first time.!!! A Referendum will be the only fair and accurate way of learning what individual Australians truly believe with the result not open to argument either way.