The ACT's Discrimination Commissioner has urged Canberrans to report any discrimination or vilification they experience and maintain a respectful debate ahead of the same-sex marriage postal vote.
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The commissioner, Karen Toohey, who is charged with enforcing the ACT's laws on discrimination and vilification, has urged all parties in either camp of the divisive debate to conduct themselves in line with the law.
It follows ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr pledging to campaign for the "yes" vote; Catholic Archbishop for Canberra and Goulburn Christopher Prowse predicting a successful "no" vote and recent marches in the city centre on the issue.
Mr Barr's pledge for the territory government to officially campaign for a "yes" vote has also raised the ire of the Opposition who has questioned the use of public funds for such a campaign.
The electoral roll for new enrolments for the federal government's Australian Bureau of Statistics-run postal vote officially close this Thursday, with forms expected to be sent out in mid-September.
Ms Toohey said that, from a human rights perspective, the vote was about "whether our government will provide equal access to civil marriage recognition currently available to heterosexual couples".
She said the commission was looking forward to a "respectful process" from from vilification and discrimination, "irrespective of which side of the vote debate you are on".
Ms Toohey also urged any Canberrans who did experience what they believed was discrimination or vilification to come forward and report it to the commission.
She said the commission was also working on new online resources to help to ensure people understood their rights and obligations under ACT laws and people were aware of "information sources and avenues for redress" if they had concerns about any behaviours or the process itself.
"ACT legislation provides a framework for a respectful debate around these issues and we want to ensure the ACT community is aware of those rights and obligations," she said.
