The Coalition's promise to give Australians a say on whether same-sex marriage should be legal has changed from a planned compulsory plebiscite to a voluntary postal survey, sparking anger from same-sex marriage supporters.
Mr Kirby is correct. The Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey — as it is formally known — is not a plebiscite. It will ask people whether or not the law should be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry. It is voluntary and non-binding, and, indeed, "completely novel". Normally, Parliament would legislate on matters within its power without directly consulting the people. As in federal elections, only Australians named on the Commonwealth electoral roll will be allowed to participate. Mr Kirby's suggestion that it is a "vote of a few citizens" cannot be tested as it remains unclear how many people will actually send in their response.
Fact check: Is the same-sex marriage survey a completely novel idea that is not actually a plebiscite?
['Coalition_(Australia)']