FIFI BOX:
So much emotion pouring out around the country and we are now joined by our very own Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Malcolm, thank you so much for coming back on the show.
PRIME MINISTER:
Thanks Fifi, it’s great to be with you and wasn’t that a great day yesterday? Aren’t you proud that we embraced as a nation, 61.6 per cent of us, we embraced same-sex couples and we said, “We respect you, we love you, we are voting ‘yes’ for marriage equality, for fairness and commitment”. It’s brilliant.
FIFI BOX:
I think it was Malcolm. What I took out of it and saw the outpouring of emotion was the validation. Because I think so many of us thought this is just, this is about legislation and legislating same-sex marriage. But when you saw people saying, “Oh, now it is okay to be me”, I could see the emotion that was attached to it and it was so important for the LGBT community. Now, Malcolm I guess the big question is, okay that was the result and now there’s so much to go through, isn’t it? We’ve got to get through the Senate and through the House of Reps?
PRIME MINISTER:
Yep. That’s all underway Fifi.
FIFI BOX:
Oh great.
PRIME MINISTER:
The debate, the bill will be starting its debate in the Senate this morning. The debate on the bill and consideration of amendments will be completed in the week of the 27th and then it will come down to the House.
I’m very confident that it’ll all be done before Christmas. This is a fascinating subject, but I don’t think the Parliamentarians want to be debating it on Christmas Eve. So it’ll get done.
BRENDAN FEVOLA:
Mr Prime Minister, it’s Fev here, mate. Congratulations.
PRIME MINISTER:
Hey Fev, how are you? Thank you.
BRENDAN FEVOLA:
Yes, I’m good mate. Great day yesterday. Going through the polls, more 18 to 24 voters than ever before.
PRIME MINISTER:
That’s right!
BRENDAN FEVOLA:
And you’ve got two children, Alex and Daisy. What did they think about the same-sex marriage? Because I’ve got girls myself.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, like me and Luce, they’re very strong ‘yes’ voters. You know what’s interesting, Fev, is that so many people who opposed this postal survey - and it was opposed by people on the left, from the Labor Party, there were some people even on my own side that didn’t like it - but the reality is, I pressed ahead with it, I believed that this would be a unifying moment for the Australian people and it was. You know, people said, “Oh, the young people, they don’t even know what a letter is. They don’t know where to find the post box”. They found the post box, don’t you worry, in record numbers.
[Laughter]
BYRON COOKE:
That was great. That’s great because young people, the idea that we just want to click Instagram and whatever, they were quite happy to jump through those hoops. Just one last one Mr Turnbull, what about the boom? This whole idea of a wedding industry boom which is also great for the economy. This could rollout and make us millions and millions of dollars. Obviously very meaningful, but also great for the economy?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well it will be. Look, there will certainly be a lot of weddings and I think that’s great.
I mean look, commitment is critical, there’s nothing more important than the commitment of one person to another. I am a passionate believer in marriage, Lucy and I are passionate believers in marriage. We’ve been doing it for nearly 40 years and it’s all about commitment. If two gay people want to make that same commitment, then why shouldn’t we give it the same respect as the law has given our marriage?
BYRON COOKE:
Hear, hear.
BRENDAN FEVOLA:
You’re right Mr. Prime Minister, can you please give me a date, because I want to be a celebrant. I’m going to make a fortune here! I need a date because I’ve got to get onto it.
[Laughter]
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I’m sure there’s a form you can fill in to become a celebrant -
BYRON COOKE:
There you go.
PRIME MINISTER:
Or perhaps you could become a wedding planner.
BRENDAN FEVOLA:
It’d be a great wedding.
FIFI BOX:
I’d like you to do more than just sign a form Fev, I’d like you to do some research.
BRENDAN FEVOLA:
Now you probably don’t know this down in Melbourne, Mr Prime Minister-
BYRON COOKE:
Well he’s up in Sydney.
BRENDAN FEVOLA:
Yes I know, but we’re going to Draculas tonight. It’s a theatre restaurant and it’s closing down and we had your mate Bill Shorten on yesterday and he told us a great story about theatre restaurant and I’m a competitive person. Can you beat that? Have you got any stories?
PRIME MINISTER:
No, well I’ve never been, I’ve never been to Draculas. You know I haven’t been to a theatre restaurant for years. There used to be a good one over on the north shore around Mosman in Sydney. But no, I can’t give you an interesting story about a theatre restaurant but I’m sure that Draculas will be a big night. Why is it closing down?
FIFI BOX:
Well we’re not-
BRENDAN FEVOLA:
They’re making too much money!
FIFI BOX:
Yeah they’re going out on a high, so we’re disappointed. But you know Malcolm they’ll love to know you’re with us in spirit tonight.
BYRON COOKE:
These are the big issues.
FIFI BOX:
You do have a lot more on your plate than worrying about theatre restaurant anecdotes, so thank you for your time this morning in order to mark this great moment in our history.
PRIME MINISTER:
Good on you, okay thanks a lot.
[ENDS]