Member for Maranoa
David Littleproud

November 15, 2017

Member for Maranoa David Littleproud announced on Wednesday he will vote “no” in Federal Parliament to the same sex marriage legislation, in line with how his electorate voted.

In Maranoa (which includes the southern sections of the South Burnett, Kingaroy and Nanango), only 43.9 per cent of voters ticked “yes” in the same-sex marriage survey (35,475 votes), while 56.1 per cent voted “no” (80,783).

A total of 78.2 per cent of eligible voters returned their survey forms.

“While Maranoa didn’t return the highest ‘no’ vote in Australia, survey results revealed 56.1 per cent of Maranoa voted no and I will use my vote according to my electorate’s wishes,” Mr Littleproud said

Mr Littleproud said his personal decision was to vote “no” but he had always said he would listen to Maranoa and vote according to the majority.

He said the debate had been “respectful and considerate” in his electorate.

“Regardless of the result, we stick together in the bush.  If there’s a flood or fire – no matter your background or lifestyle, we’re all standing side-by-side filling sandbags or volunteering to help the whole community,” he said.

“Australians have spoken and resolved the law should be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry, it’s now up to elected representatives to organise the legislation and I’ll play a constructive role to make sure it meets society’s expectations.

“Religious freedom and if same-sex marriage would be included in our education system were consistently raised with me as areas of concern so, as the Maranoa MP, I will make sure my electorate’s strong voice will form part of this further debate.”

The politician representing the electorate which had the strongest “no” vote in the country, Labor MP Jason Clare from the Sydney seat of Blaxland, has already indicated he will vote “yes” in Parliament despite 73.9 per cent of his constituents choosing “no”.


 

6 Responses to "Littleproud Says He Will Vote ‘No’"

  1. At last! A politician doing what they are paid for. While a fully paid up YES voter, I’m glad to see a politician supporting his electorate’s views rather than following the “Party Line”. Doin’ what they’re elected for.

  2. I wonder what Mr Littleproud would do if the situation were reversed? (ie Australia voted No and Maranoa voted Yes). Perhaps I’m being cynical, but a lot of the Turnbull Government have been fiercely opposed to same-sex marriage, and they wasted $123 million on this non-binding postal ballot in the hope of derailing it.

    So all Mr Littleproud may really be doing is using his electorate as an excuse to vote the way he wants to anyway. I’d be more impressed if he said he’d personally voted Yes, but as a representative would now vote No. If he personally voted No, then he’s just continuing to do as he wants and using Maranoa as a smokescreen.

      • My point, Disgruntled, is that this is the only occasion I’m aware of where Mr Littleproud has voted with the majority of his electorate, probably because this is the only occasion since the Federal election when Maranoa has been polled for its collective view on any issue. Every other issue Mr Littleproud has voted on in Federal Parliament has been done without consulting all of us for our views, because that is impractical.

        I’d also point out there’s nothing inherently praiseworthy about voting with what the majority think. Majority views have often proven to be incorrect (just think of Germany electing Hitler in the 1930s). Instead, politicians are paid to exercise their brains, do the hard research and then vote for what they sincerely believe is in the best interests of the nation and their constituents, even when it might be unpopular. If I wanted a rubber stamp to represent me I’d go to a stationery store.

        I should add that I’m not opposed to Mr Littleproud, who has been a very active member since he was elected and just last week mananged to get a new postcode for Blackbutt, which is something the previous member was unable to do despite many years of effort. I’m just opposed to humbug.

        • Hey Rod, I agree with you especially on the voting point except at times it does seem that some pollies cannot exercise their brains as they can be considered to be hard to find at times, and their advisers sometimes seem to live in la la land.

  3. Mr Littleproud said he would always vote in regards to his electorate. As far as I am concerned he is our Federal MP so he is our Voice in Canberra. No matter his personal view, he is there to represent us! I give him credit, as i know other electorates haven’t been so lucky and their MP will be voting against their decision.

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