Abbott supports gay anti-discrimination legislation
LISTEN HERE: http://www.cpod.org.au/media/3340.mp3
Federal Opposition leader Tony Abbott says he would “in principle” support federal anti-discrimination legislation which covers sexuality and gender diversity.
Abbott was interviewed by Doug Pollard on Melbourne GLBTI radio station JOY94.9 this morning.
“If [anti-discrimination] law is there, I would be very happy to look at it,” he said.
“I guess we would want to scrutinise it to ensure it didn’t have any unintended consequences, we’d want to be sure that it would in practice work out for the best, because so many well-intentioned laws can have obnoxious consequences.
“Having done all of that, I could see no reason why we couldn’t support it.”
Abbott later said, “In principle I would support it.”
Abbott was also pressed on comments he made in a recent 60 Minutes interview that he felt “threatened” by the homosexuality. He said it was a “poor choice of words.”
“In a television interview, you sometimes come out with things that if you were considering your words more carefully, you wouldn’t say,” he said.
“Don’t forget, I’m a 52-year-old bloke from a traditional background. I’ve had orthodox Catholic teachings in my youth, and it takes time… to come to a more balanced and nuanced understanding of these things.
“I have a number of gay people who are very close to me, and without wanting to pretend that I am perfect, and that I will never again be guilty of sensitivity crimes, I do think that I am pretty good at taking people as I find them.”
In the interview, Abbott indicated he was still opposed to gay marriage and adoption rights for same-sex couples, however said he would support a national relationship scheme.
i believe everyone has an equal right and what is legal for a straight person should be legal for a gay. they are no different from you or i. no one can choose their sexuality and should not be punished for what comes natually to them. i think both liberal and labor should get off the gay communities back and give them freedom of life like all other people no matter what their beliefs or religion is! and Abbott says he will support it, but like everything else he wont all he cares about is work choices!!
Let’s face the reality that neither party does a hell of a lot for us or our community. I think Abbott is being upfront and honest in his feelings. Would he champion gay causes if he was PM? I don’t think so, but neither do I think he would set our cause back either. Let’s remember we’ve had a labor government in NSW for over a decade (sigh) and they are still to address many inequities despite promising action each time an election rolls around.
Paul Mitchell, Im not going to follow instruction and be dictated to by an amateur activist like yourself. In the 70s, Gays truly had something to protest about. Now its just lame things like Freedom to Party and take drugs, oh please.
Oliver you quote:
“Gays will still whinge and whinge about something.” – unquote.
This is very offensive, we still “winge and wine” because WE ARE NOT EQUAL under the law [got that] – yet we pay MORE taxes and form loving long-term relationships, just like everyone else in the community.
Oliver I know you do not support gay marriage – but I do, so if you do not like marriage DON’T GET ONE – it is as simple as that. I and other gay men and lesbians who form long-term relationship comittments or who are currently in a relationships want to get married to their partners SHOULD HAVE A CHOICE IN WANTING THAT. Oliver should just shut his big mouth for once!
I am an autistic, athiest, hard-working, shortsited 23 year old gay man as an activist who does not settle for second-best – NEVER HAVE, NEVER DID!!!!!
yes oliver just like gays like you whinging about gays whinging!
Oh Oliver everyone in Australia whinges and whinges.
Dont confuse the issues. Gays, as you call us, are Natural Human beings. We are equal, we are normal. We have every right to whinge and whinge very loudly until we are afforded absolutley all rights of Natural People.
I guess Mary and Oliver when you have personally been at the receiving end of homophobia from Mr Abbott, you might think twice about him. We can only go by his actions when he last had power, and he abused it with me and hid behind being able to to discriminate and get away with it at a Federal Level. This was documented in the MSO. Added to that he is not actually promising to change anything, just “Look at it”. No policy at all on us.
Why would we not complain? Do you really think we deserve such shocking treatment from Mr Abbott? I am still waiting for a simple sorry from him. He does not even have the humanity to do that.
Trust is earned, and so is mistrust. It is up to Mr Abbott to earn our trust and respect.
Tony Abbott has actually shown genuine interest in progressing the position of gay and lesbian people in the past week than Kevin Rudd ever has – why is everyone jumping down his throat? Abbott is talking openly and honestly, and is in no way hostile. Of course a guy of that vintage and background is going to be a bit cautious, but he has come a long way. We should be congratulating him, not condemming him. He has the capacity to bring a lot of conservative people with him on this issue.
I agree with you Mary. Even when Gay Marriages are legal one day, Gays will still whinge and whinge about something.
Jason’s comments from Eric Abetz should make people think twice about voting Liberal. Regardless of how gay friendly the leader may appear (emphasis on appear), Abbott will come with some very nasty baggage if he gets to be PM. Heffernan, Bishop, Andrews and Barnett are a few of the slimes who will occupy government posts. They must be avoided like the Ebola virus.
Amazing. Now not just Labor but also Liberal are courting the pink vote by pretending to be gay-friendly. Look at the audience, darlings. Abbott tells the queer audience of a queer radio station that he’s in favour of rights for same-sex couples. He tells a nationally broadcast television show that he is threatened by homosexuality, and that statement is relayed through all the mainstream media. And did he retract that statement on a national broadcaster? Don’t be fooled, kiddies.
Thanks for that Jason.
Sounds like Eric Abetz is a very nasty piece of shit. Tony Abbott did not say he was not homophobic when it was put to him that Eric Abetz is homophobic during the radio interview.
Has anyone got anything positive to say? What do you have confidence in?
Dear Senator Abetz,
Yes we should learn the lessons of history.
Homosexuals have been persecuted because they manifest different behaviour and reactions than heterosexuals.
Homosexuals have been persecuted throughout the history of the Jews and the Christians because 6000 years ago some jewish Rabbis inserted their own personal prejudices into jewish scripture and christians adopted that scripture.
The lesson of history is that ideology encourages the persecution of homosexuals for the sake of tradition not morality.
Homosexuals are a minority and heterosexuals are a majority.
The lesson of history is that majorities persecute minorities.
From your statement I deduce that you relied upon the opinions of people who exhibited the effects of severe psychological disorders caused by their inability to cope with their sexuality, to develop your opinion about the validity of the claim that homosexuality was distinct and discrete from heterosexuality.
I deduced from your statement that you did form an opinion based on the evidence given by those psychologically distressed people and your opinion is that homosexuality is learned behaviour.
I induce from your statement that you consider that all people who claim to be homosexuals are people exhibiting learned behaviour.
I will let all those readers with professional training assess for themselves whether your methods of analysis and the conclusions you developed from that investigation are reliable.
For those people who do not have professional training – my opnion of Senator Abetz, based on the text of his statement – is that he is a biggot and his analysis is a factitious argument.
Not convinced – no vote 4 Abbott and his yesteryear conservatives!
These comments below are in response to a proposed sexuality discrimination bill back in 1997 from an influencial Liberal party power broker who is tipped to replace Nick Minchin as the leader in the senate for the Liberal Party.
The comments below are copied from: http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/legcon_ctte/completed_inquiries/1996-99/citizens/report/d01.htm
Liberal Senator Eric Abetz
Throughout the course of the hearings on the Sexuality Discrimination Bill, I was invited by former transsexual and homosexual people to discuss their situations and life experiences.
It is to be regretted, although understandable, that they did not talk to the Committee as a whole on the public record.
Whilst some believed they had some innate tendency toward homosexuality they believed it was largely a learned behaviour and conduct which they adopted and then rejected.
Upon rejection of the lifestyle, other elements in the homosexual community considered them to be “traitors” and they were the subject of vilification by elements of that community.
One former transsexual with whom I spoke, had unfortunately only been affirmed in her situation. Her history and life were not fully explored by “therapists” prior to undergoing hormone treatment and surgery. The simply tragic consequences for this young lady who has now changed back to her true and original sex are devastating. The physical damage is horrendous. From having a double mastectomy to having double breast implants and the removal of body hair gained through hormonal treatment is not the product of a caring society but a “Brave New World” experimentation where individuals don’t count in the pursuit of a dogma or theory. For these people there is no return to their former state. The surgery is permanent. There is no return.
It is not possible by personal decision to alter one’s race or sex. Yet, the facts of these real personal experiences as relayed would indicate that a person’s homosexual or transexual behaviour is a learned behaviour and not a characteristic such as sex or race.
Some practising homosexuals have also sought to be distinguished from the aggressive, “in your face” as it was described, lobby. Their own reservation at the antics and “shock” tactics of this lobby begs the question as to whether the lobby is representative.
In those circumstances society must ask itself a threshold question. Is this the type of behaviour we as a society would wish to promote or encourage?
As a society we should and largely do condemn violence, hatred and vilification regardless of its motivation. That is not the issue. The issue is do we consider certain lifestyles desirable and worthy of encouragement and affirmation or do we learn the lesson of history and all the major religions of the world.
Some will say these are moral issues and individuals ought to be allowed to pursue their own lifestyles.
However conflicts arise with those who would wish to pursue their own religious lifestyle, for example. An individual is not an island. They are a part of their society. Their individual conduct does not occur in isolation. It has an influence and impact on society as a whole.
I fully respect and acknowledge that my other Committee colleagues have not been privy to the private briefings that I was privileged to receive. The people that did share their life experience exposed their very soul and vulnerability describing intimate details of their lives. It was an honour to be trusted with this highly personal and sensitive information.
Their advice to me is that the legislation should not proceed. The voice of these people needs to be given an avenue for expression. These additional comments are designed to provide that avenue.
ERIC ABETZ
Liberal Senator for Tasmania
What Abbott needed to say is “If elected Prime Minister, I promise to do xxx or yyy”.
As Opposition Leader, Rudd did exactly that with the HREOC recommendations (“58/08”).
Let’s see if Abbott makes that public promise to us.
Sorry but Im not convinced by Tony Abbott.
I want to make a complaint to the editor of this publication for publishing that photograph with this article. I think I am going to chunder.
I don’t understand why the title of this article reads “ABBOTT SUPPORTS GAY ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LEGISLATION”. ““I guess we would want to scrutinise it to ensure it didn’t have any unintended consequences, we’d want to be sure that it would in practice work out for the best, because so many well-intentioned laws can have obnoxious consequences.”
Obnoxious consequences. Like say, the fact that federal anti-discrimination legislation could allow us to challenge the ban on gay adoption etc. What this means is he is willing to support anti-discrimination legislation as long as it doesn’t actually do anything.
Like all his statements, this is vacuous. His criticisms of the Rudd government have essentially been him saying NO it should be BETTER. With no suggestion how to make it better, it’s a cheap vacuous way of garnering public opinion, and now, he is offering the lgbtiq community empty platitudes, and some people seem to think that the fact that after an unacceptable amount of time, coming out and basically saying he’ll support legislation so long as it doesn’t actually provide any practical benefits, (like a ‘relationship register’).
Thanks but no thanks Abbott. I’m a practical boy and I like practical solutions, not empty platitudes.
I guess I can only go on his track record as Health Minister. A Marriage Certificate was demanded of my partner if we were to have accommodation in remote hospitals. Doctors are forced to go to these areas for up to 6 months. We were asked to stay in a hotel at our own expense just because we were homosexual.
Mr Abbott never returned letters, phone calls, and the Greens had to fight him for the Federal Award to be changed. When it counted Mr Abbott could do something for us, but he did not.
I listened to the interview but did not hear any promises to fix things, just look at it.
That said Kevin Rudd is not talking about even looking at it. Kevin Rudd is offering a flat nothing at the moment. At least Mr Abbott talked on our community radio. Credit to him for doing that!
The headline should read, ‘Abbott still opposed to same-sex adoption rights’. His claims that he -might- support anti-discrimination legislation are absolutely undermined by a clear indication that he would not support legislation that would remove state-sanctioned discrimination in this area and in the area of partnership rights.
I’m glad he’s revised his thinking about homosexuality and is committed to giving gays protections under anti-discrimination legislation – although that remains to be seen as he’s not the PM. However, the supposed Liberal principles of individual rights are thrown out the window by Abbott when it comes to same-sex marriage and adoption. Not to mention his support for the regulation of wage-earners strangely labelled Workchoices.
Perhaps the Liberals should split into a Liberal and a Conservative party and Abbott can lead the second one.