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Kennett re-elected

By on November 1, 2011

Beyondblue chair Jeff Kennett was last month re-elected for another three years at the helm of the national depression initiative.

Kennett was recently criticised for an opinion piece in which he claimed heterosexual marriages were preferable for the mental health of children.

He later agreed to an interview on Melbourne LGBTI radio station JOY94.9 where he said his comments had been taken out of context.

Kennett told JOY he didn’t set out to discriminate, but his personal preference is for opposite-sex parents.

“A loving relationship, be it between a male and a female, be it between two men, two women, be it a single parent, a loving relationship is by far the best,” he said.

“I made the comment that my preference … which would be, in my opinion, the preferred, and that’s the environment that I have grown up in, [with] which I‘m familiar, that’s been my mother and father.

“I didn’t set out to [discriminate] and I’m sorry to upset people, but on the other hand that is my opinion.”

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3 Comments

  1. Brenty

    November 1, 2011 at 4:54 pm


    It is better for Kennett to speak his mind on issues, then the individual can make up their own mind whether to support or donate to Beyondblue or not!

  2. Dave

    November 1, 2011 at 10:57 pm


    I am just not with Beyond Help using public money to promote hate against people due to their sexuality.

  3. Steve

    November 2, 2011 at 9:07 am


    I think some of the staff of Beyondblue are trying to do the right thing by the LGBTI community, but the head of their organisation is working against them.
    Kennett is disgusting for a public figure – he needs to go.

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