The Anglican Diocese of Sydney has donated $1 million to the "no" campaign in Australia's postal survey on same-sex marriage.
Archbishop of Sydney Glenn Davies announced the hefty donation in his address to the 51st Synod of the Diocese of Sydney on Monday afternoon.
He told the gathering that the diocese had been a founding member of the Coalition for Marriage, along with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney, Marriage Alliance and the Australian Christian Lobby.
"The Standing Committee has also enthusiastically backed our participation in the Coalition For Marriage and has taken the bold step of drawing down one million dollars from the Diocesan Endowment to promote the 'no' case," he said.
Davies told the gathering that "the stakes are high and the cost is high".
"Yet the cause is just and it is a consequence of our discipleship to uphold the gift of marriage as God has designed it — a creation ordinance for all people. By so doing, the wisdom of God is made manifest."
A spokesperson for the diocese told BuzzFeed News the donation had been made to the Coalition for Marriage about a month ago. It is significant in the context of a campaign where neither side has been open about its finances.
What has been made public is that Qantas CEO Alan Joyce personally donated $1 million to the "yes" case last month, while the "no" campaign has had two anonymous donors matching donations up to $200,000 and $400,000 respectively.
Davies said in his speech that he made "no apology" for encouraging Australians to vote "no" in the survey. Read more via Buzzfeed