AFA to target civil union supporters

Christian lobby group the Australian Family Association (AFA) is planning a leaflet campaign that will target MPs who back the civil partnerships bill, scheduled for a tight vote in Queensland Parliament next week.

The AFA was one of the organisations that submitted evidence to the parliamentary committee investigating civil unions and claims its submission was “ignored”.

The committee report stated they had received 2195 submissions in support of the civil unions bill and 537 opposed, and recommended allowing same-sex civil unions in the state.

“The civil unions debate is about securing legitimacy for social arrangements and personal behaviours that most societies and religious traditions have found problematic,” the AFA states in a call to arms on their website.

“A great many people see [gay relationships] as morally troubling, not because they are ‘haters’ or ‘frightened’ or ‘bigots’ or ‘uneducated – that kind of language is the real bigotry in this debate – but because they’ve carefully thought through the implications for society at large.”

The AFA claims the bill appears to be an attempt to elevate the status of same-sex sexual partners beyond their fellow Queenslanders who are de facto partners/spouses.

“In this way the bill, which discriminates unfairly against the de facto community and seeks to mimic marriage, could be in breach of Australian’s constitution which allows only the Commonwealth government to legislate in relation to marriage,” the AFA added.

Debate on deputy premier Andrew Fraser’s civil unions bill begins in Parliament at 7.30pm this Wednesday, November 30.

A rally in support of civil unions has been organised to coincide with the beginning of debate at 5.30pm in front of Parliament House on George Street. Fraser will speak to the rally at 5.45pm.