Australian MP resigns after bestiality comments

Email
Print

Bernardi resigns after bestiality remarks

3News NZ

Cory Bernardi

Cory Bernardi

By 3 News online staff

An Australian Liberal MP has resigned after comments he made linking same-sex marriage to bestiality.

Australian Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has this afternoon accepted the resignation of Senator Cory Bernardi, who last night said legislating gay marriage could lead to legalising bestiality.

“The time has come to ask, when will it end? If we are prepared to redefine marriage… what is the next step?” Mr Bernardi said.

''The next step […] is having three people that love each other should be able to enter into a permanent union endorsed by society, or four people. There are even some creepy people out there, who say that it's OK to have consensual sexual relations between humans and animals. Will that be a future step?''

Mr Abbott announced Mr Bernardi’s resignation this afternoon saying he does not share the same views.

“They are views many people will find repugnant,” Mr Abbott said.

He described Mr Bernardi’s comments as “ill-disciplined”.

“I had a conversation with Senator Bernardi [and] as a result of that conversation, he offered his resignation.

“I have accepted his resignation.”

Mr Abbott says he continues to oppose gay marriage, but Mr Bernardi’s comments were unacceptable.

“We do not discriminate minority groups, we never want minority groups to feel like they are strangers in their own country.” 

Debate on the same-sex marriage bill is currently underway. New Zealand’s Parliament overwhelmingly voted in favour of its own Marriage Amendment Bill last month 80-40.

3 News

Post a Comment

Before commenting, please take the time to read our moderation guide


(Won't be published)



Comments

28/09/2012 10:31:29 a.m.

Megan wrote:

@Skeptic. New Zealand and Australia do have freedom of speech. However as a politician speaks for his constituents, and on behalf of his party, when that party thinks you've made an idiot of yourself and offended many of your people then yes, you will loose your job

22/09/2012 9:48:39 p.m.

Jenn wrote:

Jared, I agree with your point, but you killed it entirely with your lack of knowledge. The Liberal Party was NEVER called the Australian Conservative Party. It was however called the United Australia Party and had very nationalistic and conservative views. Google was invented to stop people looking stupid. Sincerely, a High School History Student.

21/09/2012 1:33:48 p.m.

Greg wrote:

Gay marriage is only illegal because it was illegal for them to have sex. Please get real on any supposed moral high ground about marriage being about hertro sexual love. Up until the last century marriage was about escaping the parents. Marriages are more usually arranged by many nowadays. Love comes way down the list. Breats in Tina Turners song, 'whats love got to do with it, its a second hand emotion...'

20/09/2012 5:24:47 p.m.

Bob wrote:

This goes to show that all those who are claiming those in favor of gay marriage are a "vast majority" need to get their facts "straight".

20/09/2012 2:40:34 p.m.

jello wrote:

Really? one could say "who cares!" even though I am 100% hetrosexual and do not actually know any gay people, I care that ALL people have the same rights as i do, in every aspect of our very short lives, this should not be an issue, Marriage means the legal union of 2 individuals, The government needs to legalise it, and move on to dealing with issues that SHOULD be priorities.

20/09/2012 1:52:42 a.m.

Jared wrote:

1) The Australian Conservative Party effectively was rebranded as 'The Liberal Party' in the 1950s. Bernardi is thoroughly right-wing. 2) Australia does not have Free Speech as a constitutional right, but at the same time the only laws restricting expression are Hate Crime legislation and Libel/Defamation acts.

19/09/2012 8:04:09 p.m.

bukster wrote:

Cory Bernardi is a liberal MP? I'd hate to think what the conservative ones are like. Bernardi's argument is what's called a 'slippery slope'. It basically says that if we take one step in this direction, we will wind up taking a number of other, harder to resist steps once we take that first step. Similar arguments include, "if we legalize euthanasia, we will wind up having death camps to get rid of old people" or "if we legalize cannabis, we will someday legalize heroin". These arguments sometime have merit, sometimes not. We have to judge for ourselves.

19/09/2012 5:22:40 p.m.

kane wrote:

Three people that love each other can have a legal marriage in Australia - read section 6 of the Family Law Act doofus.

Section 6 - Polygamous Marriages

Shame that not even our Parliamentarians know the law.

19/09/2012 4:20:03 p.m.

skeptic wrote:

I thought New Zealand and Australia were supposed to have freedom of speech. This is obviously a fantasy.