Maurice Williamson's 'big gay rainbow' speech with captions

Watch MP Maurice Williamson's witty speech supporting the Marriage Amendment Bill.

[Maurice Williamson]: Mr Speaker, I assume we'll be taking a split call,

with my colleague Jamie Lee Ross - sort of the young and the vibrant versus the old and the boring.

[laughter]

and you sir, and members of the house will be forced to choose which one ???

Sir, I want to first of all congratulate ???? and I want to say the good news about the years in this parliament

as you learn to deflect all of the dreadful sort of fire and brimstone accusations that are going to happen sir.

I've had reverend in my local electorate call the gay onslaught will start the day after this bill is passed.

And sir, we're really struggling to know what the gay onslaught will look like.

We don't know if it'll come down the Packerena Highway as a series of troops or will it be a gas that blows in

over the electorate and drops ???

[laughter]

I also sir, had a catholic priest telling me that I was supporting an unnatural act. I find that quite interesting

coming from someone whose taken an oath to celibacy for his whole life.

[laughter]

I also ??? celibacy.

I don't know what it's about.

[laughter]

I also had a letter telling me I would burn in the fires of hell for eternity and that was a bad mistake because I've got a degree in physics.

I used the thermodynamic laws - I put in my body weight and humidity and so on. I assumed the furnace to be at 5000 degrees and will lasts 2.1 seconds.

It's hardly eternity, what do you think? And someone was discussing what adoption should be.

Well sir, I've got three fantastic adopted children. I know how good adoption is found some ???

I found some of the bullying tactics really evil. I sir, I've never been scared of bullies when I was at primary school.

However, a huge amount of the opposition was from people who were concerned, who were seriously

worried what this might do to the fabric of our society. I respect their concerns, I respect their worries.

They were worried about what it might do to their families and so on. Lete me repeat to them now Sir,

all we are doing with this Bill is allowing two people who love each other to have that love recognised by way of marriage.

That is all we are doing. We are not declaring nuclear war on a foreign state. We are not bringing a virus in

that could wipe out our agricultural system forever. We are allowing two people who love each other to have that recognised

and I can't see what's wrong with that for love nor money Sir, I just cannot. I cannot understand why

someone would be opposed - I understand why people don't like what it it is that others do. That's fine - we're all in that category.

But I give a promise to those who are opposed to this Bill right now.

I give you a watertight guaranteed promise. The sun will still rise tomorrow.

Your teenage daughter will still argue back as if she knows everything.

Your mortgage not grow. You will not have skin diseases or rashes or toads in your bed sir, the world will just carry on.

So don't make this into a big deal. This is fantastic for the people it effects, but for the rest of us life will go on.

I finally can say sir, one of the messages I had was that the bill was the cause of a our drought.

[laughter]

This bill was the cause of our drought. Well if any of you follow my twitter account you will see that

in the Packuranga electorate this morning it was pouring with rain.

We had the most enormous big gay rainbow across my electorate.

[laughter, cheers]

This sign sir, it has to be a sign if you're a believer it's certainly a sign.

And can I finish, for all those who are concerned about this, with a quote from the bible. It's ??? - I thought ??? was a ?? out of ?? but never mind. It's ??

Chapter one, verse twenty nine "Be ye not afraid".

[cheers, applause]