DLP takes Victoria’s final Senate seat
Concern has been raised about Democratic Labor Party (DLP) candidate John Madigan scoring the final Victorian Senate seat in federal Parliament.
The DLP has been awakened from its 36-year slumber to take the seat, with the result officially announced by the Australian Electoral Commission last week.
The announcement sealed the fate of Family First senator Steve Fielding, who will stand down next July.
DLP policy staunchly opposes same-sex marriage, gay and lesbian access to assisted reproductive technology, including IVF and surrogacy, and opposes same-sex adoption both overseas and in Australia.
Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby co-convenor Dr Anthony Bendall told Southern Star Observer, given the DLP’s stand on gay issues, the result was “disappointing and disturbing”, however, it was unlikely to have a great impact on future legislation.
“John Madigan gaining the sixth Senate seat for Victoria is disappointing and disturbing, given the DLP’s extreme policy positions in a range of areas, including marriage, families, education, equal opportunity and anti-discrimination law, the abolition of the Family Court and no-fault divorce, assisted reproductive technology, abortion, contraception and child care, to name just a few,” Bendall said.
“However, despite the similarity between these policies and those of Family First, whose place he will take, the fact that the ALP and Greens together will effectively control the Senate after July 1, 2011 … means that Mr Madigan’s views will effectively — and rightly — be irrelevant from a policy perspective.”
ALSO Foundation CEO Crusader Hillis said he was concerned the DLP’s policies on GLBTI people would “take us back 50 years”.
“In the same way as Family First, they have a much stronger voice than they actually have numbers. I think people are going to be putting it into context that they’re only one voice and they’re very much a minority voice,” he said.
It’s a last gasp of breath from dying dogma. The quicker it dies out the better. Then finally this country can move on.
To Joe
No your right the stance isn’t 50 years outdated. It’s the same stance the suffragists fought against back in the late 1800’s ! It’s more like 150 years outdated.
The only thing extreme about the issues raised in this article, such as abortion and gay marriage – is the position of the so called ‘liberals’ in society.
Currently gay marriage is not legalised – therefore the stance of John Maddigan and the DLP are not at all radical, or 50 years outdated – but current. The view of The Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby is radical and frankly disturbing.
Thank God for the DLP and may they build on this election success.
Great to see the DLP back.
Finally a party that really cares about the worker and the traditions and well being of our nation.
People looking for an alternative can now look to the DLP in stead of the extreme views held by the greens.