THE marriage equality issue has warmed up in the Redlands, with Julie Robinson, the wife of LNP Oodgeroo MP Mark Robinson, putting a “it’s ok to vote no” poster on Labor’s Capalaba MP Don Brown’s electorate office window.
Mr Brown said his office was defaced on Saturday with the poster which carried a “vote no” message.
Federal Liberal MP Andrew Laming waded into the tiff on social media, saying Mr Brown had taken a brave stand against “two ladies and a Blu Tack sign”.
“I'd let it slide mate, unless they left a smudge on your office window,” Mr Laming advised Mr Brown.
Mr Brown said Ms Robinson had been caught red handed by security footage.
He said he was disappointed that a person of such standing in the community had been reduced to such a childish act.
“It just shows how desperate the no campaigners have got,” he said.
Mr Brown said what he found more unusual was the fact that Mr Laming would defend such actions given his claims to impartiality in regard to same sex marriage.
“Andrew Laming says he is impartial in regards to this debate and has been outraged by an SMS from the yes campaign but now defends the no campaign defacing someone else's property,” he said.
“He says he is impartial but his actions tell a completely different story.”
Mr Laming said that in contrast to his impartial approach, Mr Brown had used his office and resources to campaign for the yes case.
“On those grounds, it is hard to begrudge a campaigner briefly blue-tacking a sign on his window and posting a photograph reminding locals of their side of the debate,” he said.
He said Mr Brown had made social media allegations of defacement of tax-payers’ property and vandalism.
“I have challenged him to release a photograph of the damage or back up his words with actions and approach Queensland police,” he said.
Mr Brown said he retained his right to make a complaint to police but would rather a public apology from Ms Robinson.
Ms Robinson responded this morning, saying on Twitter that she was sorry for posting the sign momentarily.
Mr Brown said he was happy to accept her apology.
Mr Robinson said his wife did nothing illegal in the incident which was to take a photograph.
“Blu-tacking a no poster for a moment on a window is all that happened,” he said.
“...She is an amazing working mum who has raised seven children and is passionate about marriage. I'm proud of her,” he said.
The latest ABS statistics show that more than 30 per cent of Australians are yet to take part in the marriage survey.
Bayside resident Julie Mann said same sex marriage would impact schools, freedom of speech and freedom of religion.
She is running stalls outside the Capalaba Library on Saturday mornings and at the Cleveland markets on Sundays.
“In the small number of countries where marriage has been redefined, parents are saying that they are losing the right to say no to radical LGBTIQ sex and gender programs in the classroom,” Ms Mann said.
