Mr Cobb has long stated his support of “same-sex unions” but not “same-sex marriages”, whatever that might mean.

But he has also been steadfast in his belief that the majority of Calare voters support his opposition to same-sex marriage, based on the correspondence he has received at his office.

He is obviously hearing from a very different group of voters to those who have communicated with the Western Advocate over the years because our correspondents have been overwhelmingly in favour of same-sex marriage.

Even surveys of people stopped randomly in the street have returned strong support for same-sex marriage, but none of these polls would stand up to any sort of scientific scrutiny.

Nor, Mr Cobb might argue, would a Facebook page which, he believes, has attracted many “likes” from outside the Calare electorate, including South Australian senator Penny Wong.

And that’s why social media campaigns lack any real punch – they are too readily dismissed.

Rather than simply click a button on their computer to show their support for same-sex marriage, those likers would make much more of an impact if they contacted Mr Cobb’s office directly to have their say.

They could phone or email him but, either way, they would need to provide their name and address so Mr Cobb’s staff could check their bona fides – and confirm they were his constituents.

If Mr Cobb is going to continue relying on the correspondence to his office to inform his views on this debate, then passionate supporters of same-sex marriage need to make themselves heard.

Mr Cobb would be more than happy to hear from them.