By JOLENE OGLE
It will be a heart-felt welcome for Prime Minister Tony Abbott today when local architect Robin Bristow leads a band of supporters through Hastings Street from noon.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott will dine with Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss at a restaurant on Hastings Street today (Thursday), and Mr Bristow said it was a great time to “share the love” and “spread the message” of same-sex marriage to both Federal and local government.
“The Noosa Love Parade is a way to show everyone, including Noosa Council, the love in this community,” Mr Bristow said.
“We want to show Mr Abbott and Noosa Council how much support we have and I don’t want them to miss an opportunity to show their support, too,” he said.
“We want council to join us and know there is a lot of love to share in this community.”
The Noosa Love Parade will travel from Noosa Woods to the opposite end of Hastings Street before turning around and returning to the Love Shack at the Woods.
The Noosa Love Parade is part of Mr Bristow’s campaign to have Noosa Council and Sunshine Coast Council join 35 other local governments who have added their support to a motion to for same-sex marriage.
As reported in Noosa Today last week (2 April), Noosa Council has chosen not to comment on the issue publicly and said it will “leave the Commonwealth to focus on their issues and the state to focus on their issues”.
In a letter to Mr Bristow, Noosa Council CEO Brett de Chastel said since de-amalgamation, the council has had no “spare time” to consider “non-council issues”.
Since the story broke, Mr Bristow has met with Sunshine Coast councillor Jason O’Pray, which he described as a “lovely and warm meeting”.
“We have the full support of Mr O’Pray,” he said.
Local media reports said Cr O’Pray has said he will arrange a meeting with all SCC councillors and Mr Bristow to discuss the issue further.
