Newton-Brown tells Foley to cut ties with CFMEU over ‘gay boy slur’

Newton-Brown tells Foley to cut ties with CFMEU over ‘gay boy slur’
Image: Parliament House of Victoria. (Source: Wikipedia Creative Commons)

VICTORIA’S Prahran state Liberal MP Clem Newton-Brown has urged the state opposition to denounce the CFMEU for homophobic slurs allegedly made against a Grocon manager by union officials.

The allegations arising in Federal Court proceedings and reported by News Ltd say the construction manager was called a “fucking parasite” and a “gay boy” for trying to break a picket line.

The Victorian Government has been on the attack over Opposition Leader Daniel Andrew’s ties to the union, which has been rocked by allegations of corruption over the past two months. The Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) has been specifically mentioned in proposed terms of reference in the Royal Commission into Union Governance and Corruption recently announced by Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

Newton-Brown gave notice in parliament yesterday of a motion calling on the opposition to sever ties with the CFMEU and to denounce the alleged homophobic attack. He also attacked Albert Park stateLabor MP Martin Foley for his silence on the issue, despite his role advising the Opposition Leader on LGBTI issues.

“Mr Foley wears the badge of Shadow Minister advising the Leader of the Opposition on equality. The question has to be asked, what advice has he given his leader on this issue?” Newton-Brown told the Star Observer.

“Mr Foley has failed at the first test in his role as adviser to his leader on equality. He needs to stand up for the LGBTI community even if it means putting him offside with his union masters.”

Foley dismissed Newton-Brown’s motion, suggesting he was in no position lecture the opposition given his own parliamentary record.

“Mr Newton-Brown is a member of the government that made it easier to sack LGBTI Victorians He is in no position to offer advice to anyone on rights,” he told the Star Observer.

“He needs to be reminded of people in glass houses not throwing stones.

“It is only Labor that will reinstate LGBTI Victorians to decency and fairness. It is only Mr Newton-Brown and the Napthine Government that attack LGBTI Rights.”

Victoria is going to the polls in November of this year.

You May Also Like

6 responses to “Newton-Brown tells Foley to cut ties with CFMEU over ‘gay boy slur’”

  1. Clem, it is interesting you can point the finger at others, but not yourself. Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone, is not a bad idea for you party. Robert Clark, your Attorney General, in a speech to parliament no less, said homosexuality, is a sick disease and a destructive lifestyle. As if we have not suffered enough, he went on further, telling parliament we molester children more. This was a terrible untruth. Using your public office for hate, is not an attractive look.

    You yourself voted a religious obedience, that could also include gay hate, will be a requirement for thousands of tax payer funded jobs. When you voted to turn back the clock, and strip many of our fundamental protections from the Equal Opportunity Act, did you and Robert Clark celebrate after? Some of us, like me, certainly felt less valued. You know those some of us, the people who work in soup kitchens, the people who look after you when you cannot look after yourself.

    I felt it was cruel, and you should have known better. So I find it a bit rich, a tad hypocritical, you are casting the first stone at others. If you really care about hate speeches, pass a law stopping them!

  2. Time to be quiet now Clem, nobody is fooled by your insincere concern. Find another cause to hitch your wagon to.

  3. I am often surprised by the ignorance of members of the GLBTIQ community on who has done what for our rights.

    An inconclusive list of Liberals that have gone above and beyond the call for GLBTIQ rights.

    My favourite always has to be Terry White who took the Liberal Party out of coalition with the National party in Queensland for the principled stand of decriminalisation of homosexuality. Terry refused to be Deputy Premier while the state jailed homosexuals. Under Terry White the Liberal Party would fight three state elections for decriminalisation. The 1989 Queensland State election saw that the Liberal Party was the only party to take decriminalisation to the people. The ALP coped lots of flack for not including decriminalisation in its 1989 platform.

    Tom Hughes (Malcolm Turnbull’s father-in-law) as Federal Attorney-General lost his job for advocating for the decriminalisation of homosexuality. Tom’s work would see the ACT and NT both decriminalise homosexuality.

    John Dowd as LOTO in NSW would volunteer his Saturday nights bailing out the gays convicted for the crime of homosexuality and would work to bring about decriminalisation.

    Hadden Storey as a minister in the Hammer government worked tirelessly to decriminalise homosexuality here in Victoria.

    Murray Hill MLC Liberal backbencher in SA after his friend was murdered at a beat in SA worked to bring about law reform in that state.

    I do acknowledge the haters in the Liberal party that tried to stop reforms but those that worked for our rights need to be honoured and not forgotten.

  4. LOL

    It will be a cold day in hell before a Liberal MP can be an authority, or posess any credibility in regards to the rights and dignities of the LGBTIQ community.

    We have now regressed from flavour of the month to Liberal Party political football…. Good times

  5. Sworn evidence has been offered before a court of law that a leader of the CFMEU has called a manager of Grocon by way of hate speech things I will not repeat.

    Martin Foley who is my local MP needs to denounce the hate speech used by leaders of the CFMEU.

    Mr Foley must use his influence within the CFMEU to ensure all staff within the CFMEU have undertaken a course offered by a GLBTIQ organisation that will teach the use of appropriate language and behaviours.

    I think the above two requirements are only fair.

    The ALP seems happy to take donations from the SDA (Shoppies Union) and the CFMEU; both organisations are proud of their homophobic actions. And Mr Foley remains silent on their actions.

    I think the ALP needs to cut ties with the CMFEU and the SDA otherwise its support for equality is mere rhetoric.

    The SDA has delighted in ensuring that it’s lead candidate is the number 1 ticket holder on the Western Australian senate elections for the ALP. Senator Joe Bullock ALP is so very happy that he can do “the will of God and stop marriage equality”.

    Yes both the Liberal party and the ALP have their nutters but it remains onerous on us as the GLBTIQ community to work with the major parties to produce change.

    For the record it was my call to Mr Clem Newton-Brown that led to the Victorian Liberal / National government policy of wanting to extinguish and expunge the record of those charged with the crime of “homosexuality” pre-1981. It has been great to see the NSW Liberal/National government also announce that it will extinguish and expunge the record as well.

  6. Who is Clem Newton-Brown to lecture anybody about equality for LGBTI Victorians?

    Clem is the person who voted three times to make it easier for religious organisations to sack us just for being who we are.

    Cut the stunts Clem. Nobody is fooled. You, Tony Abbott, Cory Bernardi and the rest of your Liberal Party mates are no friend of ours.