For the gay and lesbian voter, this is a frustrating election. Up to now, it’s been hard to get any idea of what the Labor and Liberal GLBTI platforms really are.  And what little information has been provided hasn’t been encouraging.

And while candidates from both majors in some gayish seats — such as Labor’s Cath Bowtell in Melbourne, and Liberal Kevin Ekendahl in Melbourne Ports — have been falling over themselves to declare that, despite their party’s policy, they personally support gay marriage, hardly a peep has been heard about gay policy from either party HQ.

Back in March, Tony Abbott was prepared to come on gay and lesbian radio station Joy 94.9 for an interview, in the wake of his remarks about feeling “threatened” by homos-xuals. So I invited him back again. And for balance sake, I also invited Julia Gillard.

I approached both with a list of issues of interest, including any plans for an anti-discrimination Bill, the impact of the internet filter, the treatment of gay and lesbian refugees from places such as Uganda and Iran, funding for a GLBTI peak body, and the appointment of a minister with responsibility for the community as part of the social inclusion program (from which we are currently excluded), and more.

Labor was first to respond. Gillard would be unavailable. Nicola Roxon? Unavailable. Robert McClelland? Unavailable. Instead the only federal Labor spokesperson it was prepared to put up was Mark Butler, departmental secretary in the Department of Health, whose portfolio covers HIV, s-xually transmitted infections and blood-borne viruses.

Slap in the face, or what? I ask to talk about the way forward for the GLBTI community, and they offer a clap doctor?

The Liberals took a little longer to respond. Then last Wednesday I received a call — Tony Abbott was of course very busy, but would Shadow Attorney-General, Senator George Brandis do? He would do very nicely, thank you.

That wasn’t the end of the surprises. During the live interview last Thursday morning, Brandis told me that, if elected, the Coalition would bring in an anti-discrimination Bill to address discrimination on the grounds of s-xual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.

When I interviewed Abbott, he had only said that an Abbott administration would “look at it”. Brandis went much further, stating that it was settled party policy.

Today, the Australian Coalition for Equality reports they have received an official Labor response to their questionnaire regarding the party’s GLBTI policy, and it includes a commitment to introduce an anti-discrimination bill on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity/expression. This should now receive bi-partisan support.

But Gillard has set her face firmly against marriage, reaffirmed a Howard-era rule refusing Certificates of No Impediment to Marriage to Aussies wanting a same-s-x marriage overseas (despite a Senate inquiry recommending otherwise), and gone on her knees to the archpriest of anti-gaydom, Jim Wallace, of the Australian Christian Lobby.

I hear that those “faceless” men in the party think we haven’t been grateful enough for the 85 laws they amended last time out, so they’re not inclined to offer anything this time. Besides, we won’t shut up about marriage. We were even rude to their tame lesbian.

You’d think Gillard would want every vote she could get. But not, apparently, gay ones.

*Doug Pollard is the executive producer/presenter of Freshly Doug, GLBTI news and current affairs, every Thursday 9am to noon on Joy 94.9 in Melbourne and streaming live