Gillard handballs dying man’s plea

Gillard handballs dying man’s plea

Terminally ill cancer patient Patrick and his partner Mitchell, who waited nearly a year for Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s office to respond to letters calling for them to be allowed to marry before Patrick dies, have finally received a response — but from the wrong person.

The couple contacted the Star Observer after sending three letters to Gillard’s office. The first letter was sent in in November 2010.

In an August 10 2011 front-page story, a media advisor for Gillard said the couple should expect a reply “in coming weeks”.

However, the reply they received came from federal Attorney-General Robert McClelland.

McClelland’s two-page letter acknowledged Patrick’s “ill health” and apologised for the delay in responding to their first letter, but reiterated the Government’s view that marriage is between a man and a woman.

Patrick and Mitchell told the Star Observer they were extremely disappointed with Gillard. They had written to almost 200 politicians and Gillard was the only one who had not responded personally.

Patrick’s health has deteriorated considerably since the Star Observer spoke with him in August. Mitchell said they had “both come to accept that marriage equality will not be achieved during Patrick’s lifetime”.

The couple said they applauded the Government’s removal of discrimination in 84 pieces of legislation, providing equal entitlements in areas including taxation, health, and superannuation.

However, Mitchell said he felt angry at McClelland’s failure to “provide substantial evidence backing up the Government’s opposition on same-sex marriage”.

Mitchell said he will continue to work to ensure other couples are able to celebrate their love in a way he is unlikely to be able to with Patrick in the time they have left.

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15 responses to “Gillard handballs dying man’s plea”

  1. the greens are nothing more than “watermelons” – marxist/communist ragbags with fascist overtones clothed in mushy green “values”. You have only to look at their “policies” and of course the rabid Christine Milne to cut through to their essence. Anyone who votes for that lot will live to regret their decision. They are hell bent on returning this country back to the days of the horse and cart and minimalist living.

  2. I wish these guys lack. They’re doing a lot to aid our cause.

    Has ACON, Marriage Equality Australia or Australia’s GLRL done something to recognize their work?

  3. Mark of Sydney, I agree with you. I would seriously doubt if the Greens would ever come to power, and heaven help us if they would. As for them running an effective administration of our country? very risque. If Greens came to power, Australia would become such a university society where education would be so much more important focus to a homeless man on the streets. I never been to university but used my initiative to create my business that I run today from home! and I dont like Uni students under my employ and trying to tell me what to do!

  4. Mark of Sydney

    The Carbon Tax was a Liberal Party policy endorsed by the Greens. The Greens reduced the Carbon Tax from what John Howard wanted. It was far too aggressive. Ask yourself has Tony Abbott ever lied? Shit Happens I guess. Have a look at Tony Abbott promoting the Carbon Tax. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckcH0Wrmy74 He could keep his vows when in training as a priest and had to DNA test on the bloke he thought might have been his child. So would he ever lie?

    Refugees cannot be illegal. They are refugees or they are not. I am sure you sleep better knowing refugees went to Malaysia and smashed up on their reefs and not ours. How dare people flee persecution? Is it good for a gay man to flee Saudi Arabia, when he is facing his head being hacked off or a Tibet Monk feeling the Communist in China? Is Iraq safe? I wonder what you would do when faced with danger….

    Mad policies? You mean the kind that demand older people not be discriminated in health services on the basis of their sexuality. Or that couples can marry. Or that all people around Australia can adopt or have parenting laws based on ability, not sexuality. Or that if you have private super it goes to where you want it, not the trustees. Or did you mean the idea all Australians can access dental health care in a timely fashion?

    And before you start back with argument about managing the economy, I ask what is the cost of discrimination and hate crimes?

    Or perhaps you are against the Greens, just perhaps, for Dr Bob Brown having a heart. A small time rural GP in Tasmania hounded out of work by homophobes started his own political party. Now politicians are forced to answer for their discrimination, for being rude to a dear dying man and his love who wants to marry him.

    Gillard and Labor make our birth a punishment, and now she does not have the decency to reply to a dying man’s request. So proudly I vote Green against this rubbish. And the winds of change are blowing in the Labor Party, and I respect some members of the party, but not Gillard, and not this.

  5. Gillard has been very vocal in reiterating it as her personal view. She’s also locked down many of her cabinet members from stating anything contrary on the issue.

    The government could also move to remove obstacles that prevent Australian citizens from entering into same-sex marriages or civil unions in other countries. Those countries simply require that Australia state that its citizen is not encumbered by other marriages etc.

  6. Greens? you’ve got to be joking right? Everytime I hear about them I think of the Carbon Tax and Illegal Refugees that THEY want.
    Yeh their great for Saving Whales and Forests but thats it,their idiotic policies will strangle this country.

  7. Sorry, but McClelland as Attorney-General is the man in charge of interpreting the Commonwealth Marriage Act. Gillard can’t do anything. It’s not so much the government’s “view” that marriage is between a man and a woman, that is the definition that was locked in by John Howard in 2004, I think. I am so sorry about this situation, but the government can’t act unilaterally against the law as it stands. I so with they could.

  8. “Gillard was the only one who had not responded personally” because that’s her “traditional” view of the relationship between government and electorate.

    PS Dear Star Observer, if someone makes an error entering a nearly illegible CAPTCHA required below, DON’T DELETE THEIR COMMENT.

  9. Marriage equality can’t come soon enough for some loving couples.

    Best wishes to the men in this article. My heart goes out to you boys.

  10. Oliver I proudly vote Green and your lies do not help your case against the Civil Rights of people. You will still be free to hate the dying when they have equality.

  11. Oliver that was when the person in office was the person WE (the people of australia) voted for… not someone who snuck in thru lies, deception and underhanded politics

  12. but majority of Gays voted labour, remember kevin 07, and Dave I do recall your comments back then how excited you were at the prospect of Labor running the country and that wind of change you felt blowing?

  13. Gillard’s stance has made the choice to vote labor a firm NO at next election an easy one, with one exception: What is the alternative? I wish I could count on my Green or Democrat vote not to just slip into a secondary vote for a political party that buys into the “one man one woman” rubbish!!! You hurt us personally, Gillard. :(