Abbott threatens to sack ministers who support gay marriage

The threat comes after Abbott won a party vote not to allow parliamentarians in his governing conservative coalition to have a conscience vote on the issue in parliament.
Abbott said on ABC Radio Wednesday morning that the coalition had voted two to one to vote as a block against gay marriage, and if a minister cannot support the party policy "that person has to leave the frontbench".
Abbott's surprise move to bring the conservative rural based National Party into the vote with the Liberal Party effectively ended any chance of a parliamentary vote to support of gay marriage.
Abbott said that after the next election due in 2016 there could be a referendum or plebiscite on the issue of gay marriage.
Almost half of Abbott's ministers were reported to have voted in the six-hour closed party meeting in favour of allowing a conscience vote.
Several ministers are outspokenly in favour of legalizing same sex marriage including Abbott's rivals for the leadership, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull, a popular former leader of the party.
Abbott's tactics reportedly caused ructions inside the government. Education Minister Christopher Pyne, a strong Abbott ally, reportedly accused Abbott of stacking the vote by bringing in the Nationals.
Conservative backbencher Warren Entsch, who put a bill to legalize gay marriage before parliament, said he will defy his party and vote for it and he hoped some of his colleagues will join him.
"But even with some support I don't think the support is there to seeit succeed," Entsch said.
An opinion poll in June found 68 per cent of Australians support legalizing gay marriage, up three per cent on two years ago.