LGBTI should not be used for cheap political points

LGBTI should not be used for cheap political points
Image: Clem Newton-Brown Victorian State Member for Prahran
Clem Newton-Brown Victorian State Member for Prahran
Clem Newton-Brown Victorian State Member for Prahran

MARTIN Foley, the Albert Park state Labor MP here in Victoria, has decided to use the LGBTI community to score cheap political shots that do not help the cause that many are fighting across for – equality in every way for the community. In suggesting in this newspaper that the Liberal Party is not supportive of the LGBTI community, he peddles a myth that is not borne out by the facts – both historical and present day.

He conveniently ignores the fact that it was a Liberal Government in Victoria that decriminalised gay sex in 1980. Liberal Governments in almost every other state then followed suit.

He conveniently ignores the fact that the Victorian Liberal Party continues to pioneer change in relation to LGBTI issues.

In 2012 we began working on reform to expunge the criminal records of men convicted of homosexual sex when it was illegal. These convictions still have emotional and real-life consequences for these men. At Midsumma this year, Liberal Premier Denis Napthine announced that Victoria would become the first Australian state to develop legislation to expunge these criminal convictions.

It is also worth noting that Napthine was the first Premier to ever attend Midsumma. To his credit, the Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews is supportive of this idea but throughout the previous 11 years in government, Labor failed to initiate such work.

At Midsumma 2013, Health Minister David Davis announced that trials for community-based HIV rapid testing would begin in Victoria. Since then, the first community centre for HIV rapid testing, Pronto, has opened in Fitzroy. With test results delivered within 20 minutes, it encourages more people to test more frequently. This will have significant benefits for public health. Again, this was an issue considered too politically sensitive for the previous government to touch.

Clem Newton-Brown and Premier Denis Napthine at Misdumma 2014
Clem Newton-Brown and Premier Denis Napthine at Misdumma 2014

Similarly, it was only when the Liberals came into government that condoms were made available in prisons. How many lives have been ruined by lack of action in this area for so long? Public health issues should take precedence over political expediency.

A health and wellbeing advisory committee that provides advice to several ministerial portfolios, including health and ageing, mental health and drug services, was also established last year. Research indicates that LGBTI community members experience greater ill-health burdens compared to the general population. The Victorian Coalition Government is committed to tackling these issues as well as employing initiatives and projects that address the underlying stigma, discrimination and homophobia citizens may experience.

Since the introduction of Healthy, Equal, Youth grants, 15 organisations have shared $380,000 to deliver new approaches to support the mental health of LGBTI youth. Up to $200,000 in research grants have also been applied to studies on premature ageing for people with HIV and AIDS.

The No To Homophobia campaign, the first of its kind to be broadcast on mainstream television, was also launched through funding from this current government.

Finally, I have been proud to represent the Victorian Government at many LGBTI community events over the years, including Midsumma, Pride March and Minus 18 events. Other Coalition ministers and backbenchers have also joined me over the years to support the community.

Marriage equality has become an increasingly topical issue in the public and political sphere. I personally support same-sex marriage and used my maiden speech to encourage federal parliament to consider changes to the Marriage Act. In my view, the resolution of this issue must be in the federal sphere. I would like to see my federal colleagues being able to exercise a conscience vote. The Liberal Party is founded on ideals of freedom of choice and respect for the individual. I believe many Liberals will support a conscience vote; even those who do not necessarily support marriage equality.

The Coalition Government is committed to governing for all Victorians and stands firm in delivering outcomes that progress our state in a way that all can be proud, regardless of their sexual identity.

I call on Mr Foley and the Victorian Labor Party to work with the government to support LGBTI initiatives in a positive manner, rather than peddling misinformation that does nothing for this community.

Clem Newton-Brown is the Prahran state Liberal MP in Victorian Parliament. He tweets under @clemnewtonbrown 

——-

To read his maiden speech supporting marriage equality click here: http://www.clemnewtonbrown.com/inaugural-speech.html

To view his picture on the Australian Marriage Equality website follow the link: http://www.australianmarriageequality.com/wp/

You May Also Like

15 responses to “LGBTI should not be used for cheap political points”

  1. Theres a saying in Washington DC.
    “Republicans hold the best parties because they have no conscience.”
    There has been a lot of political spin from both sides about the gay rights records of each party. Labor had been in power for almost 8 years federally but still refused to honor the basic human rights, yes inalienable rights of a minority group because of the churches and the likes of the ACL. When Julia Gilliard was elected within 2 weeks she phoned Jim Wallace for a sit down interview to assure him that gay marriage would remain banned. Its an amazing thing that you would trade in the potential happiness and stability of others for your own political ends. It was 3 years into labor rule that Australian embassies overseas were allowed to issue certificates of non impediment so that gay australians could marry foreign gay spouses. The evil and deep seated level of hatred, bigotry and homophobia denyed hypocrically by both parties is window dressed with cowardly comments such as “people should be respected for their opinions.” When you entertain and indulge bigotry we now have the ludicrous situation in federal and state anti discrimination laws that make room for exemptions and sunset clauses for many of the cheif discriminators…..the churches.

  2. That’s some well written spin.

    This is from 3AW, March 2013.

    Napthine: “I, personally, and my electorate are very happy with the current situation.”
    Mitchell: “So, you don’t support gay marriage?”
    Napthine: “No.”

    Make up your own mind on Coalition policy support for the LGBTI community.

  3. Well written spin.

    Here’s a radio quote from March 2013 to remind you of the Coalition support for LGBTI.

    Dennis Napthine: “I, personally, and my electorate are very happy with the current situation.”
    Mitchell: “So, you don’t support gay marriage?”
    Napthine: “No.”

  4. Clem should be voted out – not just because of his support for a party that is doing virtually nothing to advance gay rights here and now, but because he makes excuses and bends the truth on their behalf. One bill in three years and a few piddly little grants isn’t an agenda, it’s tokenistic and an insult to GLBTI Victorians.

    If he wants to start making a difference, he should look beyond making excuses for the homophobes in his party and start working constructively with parties actually interested in delivering pro-GLBTI outcomes like Labor and the Greens. If not, he deserves the thrashing he’ll likely get at the ballot box – one off tokenistic stunts or not.

  5. I wouldn’t consider calling the Premier out for homophobic comments he’s made in the past as ‘cheap political points’. Premier Napthine has said some vile things in the past about the LGBTI community and he refuses to apologize or even admit to it.

    Clem and the Liberals will pay lip service to the LGBTI community and our rights but nothing will change the fact that their party ripped away equal opportunity legislation that protected the rights on LGBTI Victorians.

    Clem does point out that it was the Hamer-Liberal government in 1980 that decriminalized gay sex in Victoria however he neglects to mention that it only occurred after two attempts were made by the Labor opposition once in 1975 and again in 1977 to pass a private members bill decriminalizing homosexuality.

  6. Straight man writes op ed in gay media accusing opposition party of using the gay community to score cheap political points.

    Hypocrisy, thy name is Liberal.

  7. Advisory committees and grants are nothing new. Expecting applause for doing the bare minimum is pathetic, especially given the first act of this Government was to remove equal opportunity protections.

    But hey, that’s one of many things Clem glosses over – in the same way he doesn’t use Foley’s proper title as Shadow Minister with responsibility for LGBTI policy, or calls virtual inaction on LGBTI issues for three years as “delivering outcomes”, or talks about a conscience vote federally & on a state level when we know there isn’t one.

    And the former government, who delivered relationship registers & equal opportunity protections among other things, should be something for Newton-Brown & his mates in the Liberals to aspire to, not fraudulently criticise.

    If you don’t like the heat, Clem, get out of the kitchen. It’s your responsibility to do better and carping about the opposition is as pathetic as the Liberal’s record in this term on LGBTI rights.

  8. Clem it was certainly no cheap trick when you voted to change the Equal Opportunity Act, stripping workplace protections in thousands of government funded jobs, delivering services through religious businesses, for good hard working GLBTI folk. You targeted us, when you should not have. You thought that would be your first act of government, out of all the discrimination we face, you actually thought increasing it was a good thing.

    Well I want an apology. The change the LNP has made, to expunge some records, is fantastic. But I am sick of the Labour and Liberal Party throwing breadcrumbs. We still can foster, but not adopt. Hospital and school accreditation, is yet to be linked to the acceptance of GLBTI folk. I strongly support most Liberal values, but when Robert Clark, your Attorney General, tells parliament homosexuality is a sick disease, or your premiere says some shockers, it is deeply offensive.

    I simply want the date your party takes freedom seriously, and ends all discrimination. Instead we are given cheap tricks, and that is all that you are offering for the next four years if you win office again. Sorry, it is simply not good enough to treat us as second class people.

  9. This is today’s goodie! If you didn’t know who he was, you would be confused as to if he actually was a politician, but he is!
    Clem, this is politics, man up mate!
    He is still a member of a party where his leader is threatened by the person I was born as and well Bernardi he’d like to see me killed. Want to help the LGBTI community Clem?! Start putting some pressure on those extremists in your party who vilify and promote hate towards LGBTI people.

  10. You almost have to laugh when you read an op-ed like this which doesn’t feel constrained by things like objective facts. At the beginning of the article CNB claims that, after Victoria decriminalised in 1980, “Liberal Governments in almost every other state followed suit”. Umm, this not only ignores that South Australia, under Labor, was several years ahead of Victoria, but also that NSW, WA and Qld were all states where decriminalisation also occurred under Labor Governments. In fact, the only other state government where a Liberal Government was involved was Tasmania – and that was after the UN Toonen decision, after the Cth Keating Labor Government had passed Cth law decriminalising, and even then it was under a Liberal-Greens Government. By all means, CNB, write an op-ed. But perhaps you might like to do some research first?

    • And now the VGLRL has clarified that the No To Homophobia campaign was launched on funding provided by the previous Labor Govt, contrary to CNB’s claim above (“The No To Homophobia campaign, the first of its kind to be broadcast on mainstream television, was also launched through funding from this current government.”) Any more mistakes Clem?

  11. woe to him whose good name means more to him than goodness”
    means napthine you fall from your own conscience for the sake of popularity pushed around like flotsam and jetsam just to keep your seat.

    to decent folk i say ” a far far greater delight is to him who against the proud captains and commodores of this earth, stands forth, his own inexorable self………

    napthine is this what is given to a grandchild of this country .shame and disgrace . in the face of the world .

    have some guts napthine keep to your original view …no to lgbt no to marriage rights .

  12. “LGBTI should not be used for cheap political points” – like addressing the Midsumma crowd as an “supporter” when you have previously demonised them and your party actively works to exclude them from marriage equality?

    Yes, I agree, the LGBTI should not be used for cheap political points. We are not fools.

  13. yay though i walk through the valley of death ” i shall not fear…

    for my right to speak evil of evil to hate those who hate to cause death and corruption to those who would cause that to my country;
    a plague on your filth…..a brimstone on your house…
    death beguiles those who are deviant genetic defectives…. i plunge this harpoon into your side oh evil whale …and as ishmale and queequeg i will survive …….

    death to you oh sodom and gomorrah……

    i prey thee vladimir putin and cory bernadi