With pressure mounting on the government to address marriage equality, the opposition is grasping at straws, most being a combination of old arguments and insulting statements.

Recently, Senate leader Eric Abetz stated that “I firmly believe that the institution of marriage is one that has been uniquely, over the centuries, the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of others for life. I also believe it is the best environment in which to raise children.”

He later went on to say that Australia’s “children deserve the best possible start in life and the best possible model for that is a marriage where children enjoy the security of knowing their biological parents and the diversity of male and female role models.”

South Australian senator and mother of two, Penny Wong took to the media with a message for Senator Abetz, saying, “Memo to Eric: we’ve already got children, all you are doing is saying the parents can’t be married.”

Senator Wong, who usually keeps her private life private, continued in her statement on Monday by stating that “I find it sad that senior politicians in this country seem to want to tell my children and children of other same-sex couples that somehow they are not normal.”

By opposing marriage equality, politicians are creating more of a divide in society while delivering the harmful message that not all families are equal.