DEATH THREATS, DIRTY TRICKS AND HARD SLOG… HOW DID ALEX GREENWICH SURVIVE THE GRUELLING MARRIAGE EQUALITY CAMPAIGN IN AUSTRALIA? HE TELLS ANDREW CREAGH ABOUT THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF THE STRUGGLE – AND WHAT HE THINKS THE NO SIDE WILL DO NEXT.

ALEX AND SYDNEY LORD MAYOR, CLOVER MOORE AT MARDI GRAS.

DNA: For years, before the postal survey, opinion polls showed that Australians supported samesex marriage. How did that effect the way the Yes campaign was run?

Alex Greenwich: There was strong support in Australia, and that was consistent across all polls, so the challenge of the postal survey was to make sure that support was reflected in the result. We had to make sure people filled out their survey forms and returned them and encouraged everyone else to do that same. We still had to put forward the case for marriage equality, and we still had to defend against the nonsense that was coming from the No side, but a core component of our campaign was, “get out and vote”.

Who did you need to target?

It became quite clear, towards the end, that 18 to 24-year-olds, although huge supporters of marriage equality and who’d indicated they would be returning their survey, were not doing that. We directed a lot of advertising to them.

Was there a particular message that resonated with them?

The message was about empowering them to help make Australia a fairer and more equitable place; that by voting they were making a difference.