Senator Penny Wong gave an impassioned speech calling on the government not to go ahead with the plan to hold a plebiscite on same-sex marriage, objecting to some of the language used in the chamber.
"We love our children and I object, as does every person who cares about children... to being told our children are a stolen generation," she told parliament on Wednesday.
"You talk about unifying moments - that’s not a unifying moment. It's exposing our children to that kind of hatred,” Wong said in response to Acting Special Minister of State Mathias Cormann who called a public vote on same-sex marriage a ‘unifying moment for the country.’
Senator Wong also called on Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to “stand up for the people who don’t have a voice”.
“And I wouldn’t mind so much if you were prepared to speak out on it. If the prime minister were prepared to stand up and say ‘that is wrong’."
“For many children in same-sex couple parented families and for many young LGBTI kids, this ain’t a respectful debate already”. 
On Wednesday the senate blocked a government move to restore the plebiscite to its agenda.
Senator Penny Wong didn't hold back in parliament on Wednesday. Source: SBS World News
Labor, the Greens and the Nick Xenophon Team had the numbers to tie a vote at 31-all, meaning the move was defeated.
Emotions ran high during the debate with Senator Wong slamming the government for being “so divided and so legless”, saying the decision on marriage equality had been "handballed" to the community because it couldn’t be made in the party room.
She also urged the government not to expose her children with her female partner to hate.
Wong urged Malcolm Turnbull to stand up and say 'that is wrong'. Source: SBS World News
“No amount of words from my colleagues can hide from the fact that this is one big massive handball because this is a government without a leader, utterly divided on this issue,” she said.
The government will now proceed with a $122 million postal plebiscite which does not require legislation.
The postal vote would see ballot papers in mailboxes from September 12 and a result declared on November 15.
There would be no publicly funded "yes" and "no" campaigns.
Senator Wong described the option as an expensive and damaging stunt.
Wong responded to Acting Special Minister of State Mathias Cormann, who said a public vote was 'a unifying moment'. Source: SBS World News
The money could pay for three million GP visits, or thousands of teachers, she said.
Instead it would be spent on a useless opinion survey given that conservative Liberal senators, such as Eric Abetz, have indicated they will not change their vote regardless of the outcome, she said.
"They simply cannot countenance people like me and others being equal."
Senator Cormann argued a public vote would enable those on the losing side of the argument to more readily accept the result.
He rejected claims the debate around a plebiscite would be damaging, insisting the government trusted the Australian people to have a respectful debate.
