Tribunal to decide if pamphlet was anti-gay

By Alma Mistry

The Tasmanian Anti-Discrimination Tribunal has retired to consider its decision over a complaint against a pamphlet authorised by the Liberal Party that claimed same-sex marriages were -œsocially destructive.

The pamphlet, which was sent to about 100,000 Tasmanians before the 2006 state election, attacked the Tasmanian Greens policies including their acceptance of same-sex marriages.

The complaint was brought by transgender human rights advocate Martine Delaney who said it incited hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation.

At the recent two-day hearing Delaney’s lawyer Peter Tree SC told the tribunal that -œrobustness [of debate] should not be at the expense of minority groups.

The Liberal Party has defended the pamphlet, saying it was aimed at Greens policies -” not same-sex couples.

Tribunal chairwoman Helen Wood is expected to hand down her decision in the next two to three months.