FORMER PM John Howard is back on the campaign trail in Adelaide today after yesterday declaring marriage equality is “nonsense”.
Mr Howard, who is in Adelaide bolstering support for the Coalition, this morning set a cracking pace as he took to the Torrens for his famous morning walk.
“I always enjoy walking. I walk every morning. I still do it,” he said.
Navigating the construction work on the riverbank proved a little difficult running into a dead end but Mr Howard said he was fully supportive of the Adelaide oval upgrade.
“I’m all in favour of the redevelopment. It makes a lot of sense. I’m looking forward to coming here when it’s all completed,” he said.
“I hope (to come to the Ashes in December). That’s the current plan for at least a day or two.
“When Adelaide had the Australia Day test years ago I used to come over for that.”
After his walk Mr Howard was back on the roads, heading up to Gawler, in the seat of Wakefield, where the Liberal party hopes to make ground with candidate Tom Zorich.
Yesterday, while in Hindmarsh, which is sitting on 50/50 in the polls, he did a good old-fashioned shopping-mall walk, where he had a ridiculous number of selfies taken with strapping young lads.
He may have single-handedly won the seat for local Liberal candidate Matt Williams – in 2004 Labor wrested Hindmarsh from the Liberals with just 108 votes.
Mr Howard said he was against gay marriage and that “the best environment to raise children is in an ordinary, orthodox, heterosexual marriage”.
Asked whether he thought there should be a conscience vote, he said that was a matter for the party.
“But if you’re asking my view … I think this whole argument that it’s marriage equality is nonsense,” he said.
“The present (situation) doesn’t discriminate against people, it just recognises not only a long-standing attitude and custom but also recognises that anything we can do to preserve current notions of marriage are more likely on balance to provide the best environment for raising children.”
His comments come in stark contrast to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s spirited defence of gay marriage against a pastor on ABC TV’s Q &A last night .
Photo: Simon Cross
Author: Tory Shepherd
Publication: new.com.au
Date: 4 September 2013