The imperfection of the record makes it unlikely that the issue will be settled in the foreseeable future.
The measure passed, the country remains divided, and the issue will be settled in June by a politically split Supreme Court.
Doubtless the inquiry's conclusions will change the views of few, but the issue will be settled in the public realm.
The lack of action by the state, which sets the pay rates, may mean that the issue will be settled by the courts.
Pressure has been mounting on Abbott to grant a conscience vote on the issue, but the prime minister has consistently said that the issue will be settled by the Coalition party room.
The leaders say the issue will be settled by next month although it is not clear whether that will be merely a coalition of the willing or whether there will be mandatory quotas.
He said he wanted a "clear result" but tried to play down the implications for the coalition, saying: "Whether [the result] is a 'Yes' or a 'No' there will be no celebrating, there will be no congratulations, the issue will be settled and we can get on with the vital work we're doing as a coalition, governing in the national interest".
Friday's ruling makes it more likely that the issue will be settled by the US supreme court, although it may be overtaken by the decision of Barack Obama on whether to accept the recommendations of a White House review panel to ban the NSA from directly collecting such data.
"I hope the issue will be settled soon," says Curtis Meyer, a physicist at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
While the goal is to resolve all the issues in a settlement conference, it is not always guaranteed that these issues will be settled in this meeting, especially if things become heated during negotiation.
