Flier controversy fails to deter 100,000 attending Midsumma Carnival

Flier controversy fails to deter 100,000 attending Midsumma Carnival
Midsumma 2013
(Photo credit: Ari Neubauer, Star Observer)

SPECTACULAR weather in Melbourne on Sunday helped bolster the huge crowd for Carnival, the annual event that launched the city’s Midsumma festival.

Over 100,000 people attended Carnival, which this year saw it return to its former venue in Alexandra Gardens.

The first Victorian Premier to do so, Denis Napthine spoke to the assembled crowd and used it an opportunity to announce increased state government funding for the LGBTI cultural festival, up from $40,000 to $50,000 for the next three years, and plans to allow historical convictions for gay sex offences to be expunged.

“It makes us very pleased as Melbournians and Victorians that we host such a fantastic festival, which really does celebrate the rich diversity of life here in Victoria,” Napthine said.

Along with entertainment from festival acts, speakers included Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle and gay Aboriginal activist and performer Noel Tovey, who talked about the significance of the Premier’s announcement on historical gay sex convictions. Tovey was jailed for gay sex offences in 1951 when he was 17.

Organisers were happy with the turnout, and festival director Monique Thorpe thanked volunteers and the community for getting behind Carnival.

“Midsumma Carnival had everything we wanted it to: community participation, a mellow vibe, glorious sunshine and thousands of people with smiles on their faces,” Thorpe told the Star Observer.

Midsumma chair Aaron Hockly echoed Thorpe’s comments, making specific mention of the numerous straight allies attending in support of the LGBTI community.

“We had the largest number of stalls and food vendors on-site in our history and sold the largest number of tickets to the arts festival which runs for the next three weeks,” he said.

The day wasn’t without controversy. A flier circulated by Rainbow Labor Network Victoria members criticised Premier Napthine for previous comments indicating a lack of support for LGBTI issues. Most quotes were over 10 years old, but one in opposition to marriage equality was dated March 2013.

Prahran state Liberal MP Clem Newton-Brown told the Star Observer he was disappointed with the flier, and said it shouldn’t take away from the Premier’s announcement.

“It was a real pity that Labor chose to engage in political attacks in an anonymous, unauthorised flier at Midsumma,” Newton-Brown said.

“Not once did any Labor member congratulate Premier Napthine for being the first Premier ever to attend Midsumma. Actions speak louder than cheap political point scoring and Premier Napthine has come through with the goods for the GLBTI community.”

Newton-Brown reiterated the Coalition Government’s support of LGBTI issues including funding HIV rapid testing, AIDS research and anti-bullying programs in schools.

Albert Park state Labor MP and adviser to the Opposition Leader on LGBTI Equality Martin Foley denied the flier was distributed anonymously.

“I don’t think it’s a secret. Rainbow Labor were distributing a leaflet pointing out the Premier’s long hostility to LGBTI equality issues,” Foley said.

“That therefore leads you to the question of why the Premier at this election year eve decided that this is going to be a matter that he acts on.”

You May Also Like

12 responses to “Flier controversy fails to deter 100,000 attending Midsumma Carnival”

  1. Getting annoyed by the alphabet soup people keep insisiting on for us: it is LGBT and that’s it.

    • When did you become the arbitrator for the whole LGBTI community? Do you even know what the I stands for? I’m proud of the LGBTI (and even add a Q) acronym – we’re a diverse community. Deal with it!

      • Within our community we welcome people who are intersex (I), queer or questioning (Q), poly-amorous (P) and asexual (A). By stamping your foot and ruling out half of that community displays a childish reaction to true inclusion. Educate yourself don’t be a intolerant bigot like the religious fascists and conservatives that push heteronormative beliefs onto everyone else.

  2. So what if the quotes were over ten years old? Napthine’s never apologised for them, or stated that his views have changed. I saw that flier, and he’s said some awful things about the LGBTI ‘lifestyle’ and how we shouldn’t ‘flaunt it’.

    Until he apologises, they’re relevant.

  3. In what world is a flier pointing out what the Premier has said supposed to deter people from attending Midsumma?

    And since when is a political leader, one who opposes marriage equality, civil unions, IVF, adoption and anti-discrimination, immune from criticism?

    Just because we’re being tossed a bone by a leader in an election year shouldn’t mean that leader is uncritically praised.

    Given this is the first thing that the Napthine has done this term to advance LGBTIQ rights, you might want to question why him attending an event should somehow put him above scrutiny.

  4. Excuse me if I’m not falling over myself to thank someone for tolerating me and my “difference.”
    As premier, checking in with 100,000 folks or so that the Libs don’t bother with the other 364 days of the year(except to slander us) is the bloody least you can do.

    Guess the shoe’s on the other foot when there’s a photo op/pink dollar going begging. Good on RL :)

  5. Well it took four years for this announcement, so what is Napthine offering in another for years? This is the only thing on offer in what will be eight years of LNP rule if Napthine wins, apart from abolishing workplace protections for GLBTI people. Napthine and a Daniel Andrews need to talk about equality, adoption, equal rights in all job. They need to tie the funding of all government funded services, no matter if they are run through religious businesses or not, to treat GLBTI Australians as any other person. There needs to be and end to all discrimination because of the way we are born. What date will the discrimination by the Victorian Government end? I want the date.

  6. Call me cynical but a politician coming in an election year to make an announcement doesn’t win many brownie points for me.

    Further, Napthine’s voting record and stuff he’s said about Midsumma in the past is terrible. He’s criticised Midsumma in the past when they lit up the Arts Centre pink for Midsumma (for ‘promoting’ homosexuality) and has objected to police marching in Pride March. He said “I don’t have a problem with people if they choose to be homosexual, but I do have concerns about them flaunting that lifestyle.” Why was he even welcome without him even apologising or having backtracked from those comments?!

    Also, he voted against IVF access for lesbians, opposed health initiative funding being targeted to GLBTI programs and the first act of this Government was to abolish the Equal Opportunity reforms protecting GLBTI Victorians. He is not our friend.

  7. Great, Napthine threw breadcrumbs at the poor. Labor should have done this. Still in Victoria you can foster a child, but never adopt. Still in Victoria, it was Denis Napthine who led the charge to rip out workplace protections for GLBTI proeple employed in government funded religious businesses. Our rights were not as worthy as straight folk. Until Denis Napthine can say he has reflected, and say sorry, then he just looks like a politician doing a show. And what about Robert Clark, the Attorney General, telling parliament homosexuality is a sick disease, worse then smoking, any apology? Of course not. But in fairness, I am grateful some will get their record expunged. It should have happened years ago.