Couple threaten divorce over same-sex marriage vote, citing sanctity of marriage

The couple, who have been married for over a decade, will refuse to recognise the government's regulation of marriage

A couple have vowed to divorce if Australia should vote to allow same-sex couples the right to legally marry.

The couple, who have been married for over a decade, have no intention of separating but say they will divorce if any there is any move to legalise same-sex marriage.

Nick and Sarah Jensen, from Canberra, believe widening the definition to include same-sex couples threatens the sacred nature of the union.

"My wife and I, as a matter of conscience, refuse to recognise the government's regulation of marriage if its definition includes the solemnisation of same sex couples," Mr Jensen told City News.

"If our federal parliament votes to change the timeless and organic definition of marriage later on this year, it will have moved against the fundamental and foundational building block of Australian society and, indeed, human culture everywhere."

The couple are acting in response to growing discussion about a same-sex vote in Australia.

On 28 May 2015, Prime Minister Tony Abbott bowed to pressure to allow his MPs a free vote on same-sex marriage, clearing the way for a change in the law as early as August.

Mr Jensen is a director of the Lachlan Macquarie Institute, a Christian lobby group.

"The decision to divorce is not one we’ve taken lightly. And certainly, it’s not one that many will readily understand," he said.