If electorates favour gay marriage, why fall back on conscience vote?

Updated April 23 2018 - 8:15pm, first published May 28 2015 - 9:04pm

Lower house members are appointed to represent the voters of their electorates. The electorates are balanced so that each has around the same number of voters. Therefore a parliamentary vote by truly representative members should automatically reflect national electoral opinion. That is true only if members each clearly understand the will of their electorates and vote accordingly. This is their primary democratic obligation.

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