Sure, the majority of MPs who reported back said they and their constituencies oppose same-sex marriage. But this doesn't mean a majority of MPs, let alone a majority of Australians, oppose reform.

The sample sizes were tiny and in stark contrast to all the large-scale national opinion polls which show at least 60 per cent support for marriage equality.

The best we can say about most of the surveys is that a handful of churches in a handful of electorates successfully persuaded their parishioners to fill out proforma letters.