Labor leader Bill Shorten has labeled the Liberal party’s plan to push forward with a plebiscite, and then potentially a postal plebiscite, as “dumb and dumber” ideas.

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Yesterday following a crisis meeting Liberal MPs overwhelmingly voted to maintain their current policy of holding a compulsory, but non-binding plebiscite, on marriage equality.

The party committed to resubmit its failed legislation to the senate, but warned if the bill was knocked back a second time it would roll out a optional postal plebiscite to maintain the election promise of giving people a say.

Labor, The Greens, The Nick Xenophon Team and independent Senator Derryn Hinch are unlikely to change their stance on the issue, meaning the legislation is destined to be knocked back for a second time.

Marriage equality advocates have vowed to challenge the legality of the postal plebiscite in the High Court, arguing that it is unconstitutional.

‘We think both ideas are just stupid.” Shorten said on Tuesday morning.

“There’s a constitutional question if whether or not this postal opinion poll is even legitimate.”

“This is an absurd situation, this is a government that is so weak they spend all their time arguing about marriage equality, it’s just weird.”

Speaking to reporters outside Parliament House in Canberra the leader of the opposition said his party maintained its stance that the issue should just be dealt with via a parliamentary vote.

“The parliament should just do its job. The government should just do its job and have a free vote on marriage equality, we can make it happen.

“All of the experts, the health professionals have said that having some protracted process involving millions of people will lead to greater pressure on young gay people, the experts think it’s not a good idea, it’s a waster of money, it’s yet again another delay, it’s yet again the right wing of the Liberal party giving their marching orders to a weak Prime Minister.”

Shorten’s comments on the effects the prolonged debate might have on younger members of the LGBTI community comes as social media giant Facebook removed a hate page targeting the children of LGBT people who attended the marriage rally in Perth last weekend.

“We should just let people who love each other be allowed to marry,” Shorten said, “We shouldn’t have a different law making process one group of Australians compared to everyone else.”