Liberal Imploding, Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull to resign from Cabinet for gay marriage comments

On Monday South Australian Senator Cory Bernardi called on senior Liberal Malcolm Turnbull to resign from his frontbench position because Mr Turnbull - the Communications Minister and former party leader - said the Coalition should allow a conscience vote on the issue.

Senator Bernardi said the longstanding policy was that "marriage is between a man and a woman".

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott has declined to take sides as some of his colleagues spar over legalising same-sex marriage.
Outspoken Liberal backbencher Cory Bernardi has called for Malcolm Turnbull's sacking after the cabinet minister publicly supported changes to the Marriage Act.

Senator Bernardi argued there was no room for ministers to talk up personal views that differed from party policy.

Mr Abbott wasn't buying into the argument when quizzed about the senator's comments on Tuesday.

"I think on a subject such as this, there is a certain leeway extended to people," he said in his northern Sydney electorate, adding the Liberal Party was a broad church of views.

veya_victaous wrote:I think he is being call on to resign? it could just be papers jumping at off hand comments. Turnbull is also known for making quick comments.

veya_victaous wrote:http://www.news.com.au/national/sa-senator-cory-bernardi-tells-communications-minister-malcolm-turnbull-to-resign-from-cabinet-for-gay-marriage-comments/story-fncynjr2-1226784458607

On Monday South Australian Senator Cory Bernardi called on senior Liberal Malcolm Turnbull to resign from his frontbench position because Mr Turnbull - the Communications Minister and former party leader - said the Coalition should allow a conscience vote on the issue.

Senator Bernardi said the longstanding policy was that "marriage is between a man and a woman".

The other day Communications minister Malcolm Turnbull expressed his support for marriage equality and suggested that the Coalition would consider a conscience vote on the matter rather than ruling along party lines. It was a nice suggestion, and certainly deflected attention away from the fact that the National Broadband Scheme for which he was responsible would come nowhere near the operational deadline, connection speed or budget that he'd previously declared it would.

Tanya Plibersek, Labor's deputy leader and a woman who knows how this politics game is played, immediately doubled down on Turnbull's comments by announcing that neat, in that case she'd move a private member's bill to this effect and how about Turnbull co-sponsor it with her, since he's so in favour of it and all?

The PM, who doesn't want homosexual freaks like his own sister sullying the flawless and magical institution of marriage, declined to comment other than to point out that he still supports "the traditional position" (by which we assume he means missionary?), indicating that there's not going to be any conscience vote on the subject any time soon. And that could well have been that.

Fortunately Cory Bernardi was there to ensure that no-one was in any doubt just how awesome and not insane he is.

"If Malcolm Turnbull wants to talk about fringe issues outside party policy, he should resign from the frontbench. Our longstanding party position is that marriage is between a man and a woman [and] Our frontbenchers need to reflect that in any comments they make. When you are a frontbencher there is no room for a personal view."

You hear that, estimated seven-in-ten Australians? You hold a fringe view.