The heat is going on opposition leader Tony Abbott as PFLAG’s mums and dads ask him to allow his MPs a conscience vote on changing the Marriage Act.

Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays have today launched a national TV ad campaign, in which ‘supermum’ Shelley Argent joins other speakers hoping for equality for their offspring.

“Mr Abbott, seventy-six percent of Coalition voters believe in a conscience vote,” says Argent in the ad. “If you believe in a real democracy, you’ll allow a true conscience vote. What’s there to fear?”

Be among the first to watch the new ad – here it is:

The campaign for marriage equality addresses Abbott as The Australian suggests Coalition whip Warren Entsch and his government counterpart Joel Fitzgibbon are drafting a civil union bill because they believe legislation for same-sex marriage will fail.

“I’m looking at what can be done,” says Entsche. “It’s not going to satisfy the hardliners, but I think it’s certainly going to make a difference for a very significant number of gay couples.”

It won’t satisfy anyone, suggests equality campaigner Alex Greenwich, who labels any Civil Union move as “unnecessary, damaging and impractical.”

“The gay and lesbian community and our families overwhelmingly support marriage equality over civil unions, so all a civil union scheme will do is prolong the debate rather than bring it to an end,” he suggests.

“Civil union legislation is damaging because it entrenches a second-class status for same-sex couples, unnecessary because 80% of Australians already have access to state civil union schemes, and impractical because it would require referrals of powers from the states.”