-˜Our’ Tanya commits to reform long haul

Tanya Plibersek has stepped up her outspokenness for gay and lesbian reforms comparing the current government position to the White Australia Policy.

Using the exposure of her column in The Sydney Morning Herald, Plibersek highlighted current inequalities in commonwealth legislation and called for a federal system of formal relationship recognition for same-sex couples.

With the seat of Wentworth soon to encompass gay hubs Darlinghurst and Potts Point, Plibersek said current seat holder and cabinet member Malcolm Turnbull needed to go on the record on this issue.

He needs to say enough is enough, Plibersek told Sydney Star Observer.

They’ve been in for 11 years now and during that time they’ve introduced specifically discriminatory legislation like the Medicare Safety Net -“ they have actually introduced discriminatory laws intentionally, she said.

He needs to address the unintentional discrimination that was already there. He needs to reverse the discriminatory legislation that his government has introduced on purpose. And he needs to take the next step of introducing a national system of relationship recognition.

A spokesperson for Turnbull told Sydney Star Observer the minister maintained his full support for reform of the law in this area and would continue to advocate for change in his new role.

Comparing the current Liberal position to the White Australia Policy wasn’t provocative, Plibersek claims, but statement of fact.

If you have a government policy that insists on discrimination, it’s not out of the ballpark to compare it with past policy like the White Australia Policy.

Plibersek promised to keep up the condemnations of discrimination regardless of whether Labor is in opposition or in government.

I hope that the need for this outspokenness will be eliminated by a thorough review of all commonwealth legislation and relationship recognition. I hope I don’t have to say these things but, if I have to, I will.

But Plibersek hopes that Labor will make a commitment on a federal system of relationship recognition before the federal election.

It is my next priority in the area of gay and lesbian law reform and something I’ve already spoken to three successive shadow attorney-generals on and keep pushing.

Other than ruling out marriage, Plibersek said she didn’t want to impose any particular model of relationship recognition.

We need to look at the Tasmanian and NZ systems and what the ACT was proposing, she said. Then we can have a public discussion on which model best suits the needs and aspirations of the people who are going to be signing on the dotted line.