AN internal stoush over same-sex marriage is brewing within Bob Katter’s Australian Party, with the issue driving a wedge between the fledgling outfit and other Christian-right parties.
Country music star James Blundell – the KAP’s top Queensland Senate candidate – reportedly said last week that he supported “freedom of choice” and that he didn’t believe “anybody (had) the right to tell people how to run their sexuality and private life”.
The Family First party says the support by some current and former KAP members for same sex marriage is likely to have a “serious impact” on potential preference deals.
“Certain candidates that they’ve chosen are anti-family – anti-natural family,” Family First’s lead Queensland Senate candidate Sally Vincent said, adding there was “some tension”.
“It could have a serious impact on preferencing for us. They’ve got a Christian ethics statement in their constitution so you would expect that candidates would line up with that.”
Party sources say a number of KAP members have been angered by the deviation by some from the official party stance – which dictates that marriage should remain between a man and a woman – but party president Rob Katter said there were “no dramas” and pinned the rumblings on “disgruntled ex-aspirants in the party”.
“We can have candidates making statements on their own behalf that are challenging our position, but our position remains firmly in place,” he said.
He added that it was not unusual to expect the emergence of the “odd loose comment that can easily be misinterpreted”.
Meanwhile, the KAP’s lead SA senate candidate Glenn O’Rourke has called for a referendum on the issue, saying he did not “want to see riots in Australia like there was in France”.
“I’ve got a lot of gay friends, I’ve been in business in the past where I actually employed people with gay or lesbian persuasions,” he told The Courier-Mail, “but the best way to overcome this media circus and the circus about all this is that we really need to go to a referendum and let the people speak.”
The KAP ran into trouble with an advertisement that was slammed as “homophobic” during the state election. Last week, Bob Katter told reporters at a press conference that his party would not be answering questions on same-sex marriage.
It is understood Aidan McLindon – who became KAP national director after leaving the LNP, founding the Queensland Party and merging it with Mr Katter’s party – has officially joined Family First and may run as a candidate after ending his KAP membership over the weekend. Mr McLindon had been working for Family First as a consultant.
Photo: News Limited
Author: Jason Tin
Publication: The Courier Mail
Date: 7 August 2013