One Nation’s Malcolm Roberts ‘in two minds’ about whether gay people should be equal

Footage shows senator on stage at the Church and State conference responding to question about party’s director James Ashby Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast One Nation’s Malcolm Roberts told a conference earlier this year that he was in “two minds” about whether gay people should have equal rights. In footage from June’s Church and State conference, released on Sunday, the senator can be seen responding to a question about James Ashby, the party’s director, who is gay. Both Roberts and the One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, appeared at the conservative Christian conference. In the footage, Roberts described Ashby as bright, honest and straight. “Well, straight in one way,” he joked. An audience member then asked Roberts what Christians should think about Ashby. Roberts responded by referring to the late American bishop and gay rights advocate John Shelby Spong, citing him as saying that after women and black people were no longer recognised as “inferior”, gay people were next. “Now I’m in two minds about that,” Roberts said. “So I haven’t got a firm position on it myself