This week, the former Prime Minister’s youngest daughter spoke out in a video for Australian Marriage Equality, urging people to tick yes on their postal survey.
In the video, Frances praises her Aunt, Christine Forster’s relationship with her partner Virginia Edwards, stressing that their love and commitment to each other deserves to be celebrated equally to heterosexual couples.
“You can’t help who you fall in love with. Love just happens sometimes and it’s unexpected but that’s kind of what’s the awesome thing about it”
“I look at Aunty Chris and I don’t think she planned to fall in love with Virginia, it just happened,” she says.
Frances goes on to comment about what it would mean to witness her Aunt freely marry her life partner, and why the moment is one she looks forward to.
“To see Aunty Chris marry Virginia, to do it here in front of friends and family, it would be so special and I’m so, so hoping that’s what I get to be a part of.”
“I think marriage equality would make society a much better place.”
Forster spoke up on social media to praise her “gorgeous niece”.
My gorgeous niece Frances, speaking about what marriage means to her #PostYourYes #ssm #auspol https://t.co/BBWilgN7cL
— Christine Forster (@resourcefultype) September 25, 2017
Frances Abbott’s public campaign for same-sex marriage to be legalised has been emphatic over the past few months, and contrasts sharply against her dad, Tony Abbott’s relentless ‘no’ crusade.
Just last week, the former Prime Minister was caught up in accusations that he’d fabricated the context of an assault against him, saying the man who attacked him on a street in Hobart, had been a vocal ‘yes’ supporter.
The man who was charged later spoke out to say that the assault was in no way connected to the same-sex marriage debate, while Abbott’s staffer confirmed that nothing had been said to suggest this was the reason why the former PM had been attacked.
The incident conveyed the lengths Tony Abbott is prepared to go, to try and prevent same-sex marriage reform from happening.
So how does Abbott feel about his own daughter fighting against him?
He told long-standing buddy and controversial shock jock Alan Jones, that while he “respectfully disagreed” with his daughter’s position, he was proud of her nonetheless.
“I am proud of the fact she is an independent woman, who has her own thoughts and who does her own thing,” he said.
“I respectfully disagree with her on this issue but I am certainly very proud of her.”
We are too Tony. We are too.