The Prime Minister discussed the plebiscite during an appearance on ABC’s 7:30.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has said he believes the Coalition will face no opposition in the Senate in passing the legislation needed to hold a plebiscite for marriage equality.

During an interview on ABC’s 7:30 program, Mr. Turnbull was asked by host Leigh Sales whether the government had plans to hold a conscience vote if the plebiscite failed to gain the approval of the senate.

“I have no doubt the plebiscite will be passed through the Senate,” said the Prime Minister.

“If you look, there is overwhelming support in the community for the plebiscite. People actually quite like the idea of having their own say in it.”

“Attitudes in Parliament don’t mirror attitudes in the community on this issue,” Sales countered, referring to a number of Coalition senators who have indicated they will vote against marriage equality regardless of the plebiscite results.

“You’d be amazed, politicians are quite sensitive to public opinion, even as reflected in opinion polls,” said Mr. Turnbull. “And I can assure you, the plebiscite-enabling legislation will go through.”

The government has previously criticised the Senate for being hostile towards legislation introduced by the Coalition. A number of independent crossbenchers, who hold the balance of power in the Senate, have refused to pass any legislation introduced by the government.

It was the Senate that triggered the double dissolution election in May after rejecting the Government’s Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) reforms.

However Prime Minister Turnbull, who withdrew from a Sky News and Courier Mail People’s Forum with Bill Shorten in Brisbane to appear on 7:30, would not discuss a conscience vote in the lower house with Sales.

“I’m not going to entertain that hypothetical,” he said. “But what I will say to you is that I support legalising same-sex marriage, and I will certainly be voting yes in the plebiscite.”

You can watch the full interview here. The marriage plebiscite question comes in the last five minutes.