Australia’s political leaders agree: gays don’t go to hell

In the last days before the Australian elections the mood rises high around a remarkable question: are gays going to hell? At the urging of opposition leader Bill Shorten, conservative Prime Minister Scott Morrison finally gave a clear answer: he does not believe that gays go to hell.

The religious prime minister was in Perth yesterday for the election campaign when a journalist asked him if he believed gays were going to hell. Morrison replied evasively: “I support the law of this country and I never combine my religion with politics.” Opposition leader Shorten, an advocate of same-sex marriage, found Morrison’s answer unsatisfactory.

According to Shorten, the prime minister should immediately have made it clear that he thinks gays are not going to hell. In addition, the opposition leader found it incomprehensible that this should be discussed at all. Morrison today announced in a new statement that this was a ‘cheap shot’, an easy way to score in election time.

In addition, the prime minister now clearly stated in the statement that he does not believe that gays will end up in hell because of their homosexuality.

The elections will take place next Saturday.