Democrats defiant after gag
The Democrats are pushing ahead with their own inquiry into proposed same-sex equality reforms after Government senators blocked debate.
Members of all parties were invited to debate the merits and costs of implementing the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission recommendations to remove discrimination.
Shortly after the Democrats introduced their Same-Sex: Same Entitlements Bill, the Government used its numbers to overrule the normal parliamentary process and block the reforms from being scrutinised by a committee.
On the same day, it allowed a bill from Family First senator Steve Fielding to proceed without interference.
Liberal Senator Eric Abetz said the issue had already been examined by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission and it would not be unreasonable for the Government to want to consider that report.
He did not respond to questions on when a decision would be made and why cost implications from the Treasury had not been released.
Labor and the Greens joined the Democrats to condemn the Government for not even allowing the bill to be examined.
We don’t really know what their position is, a spokesman for Democrats leader Lyn Allison said.
The main thing we want to know is why the Government wouldn’t enact the legislation when it has previously said it supports the removal of discrimination.
The Democrats’ private inquiry will take place in early September in the committee chambers but won’t be recorded in Hansard.
We’re hoping that Warren Entsch, Greg Hunt and Malcolm Turnbull and others who have shown an inclination to support the HREOC recommendations would be willing to sit on this committee, the spokesman said.
At this stage it is not known if parliamentarians from Labor or the Government will participate.
The Democrats are also calling on same-sex couples who support reform to send in photographs of themselves for a billboard that will be placed in Parliament.
It’s nice to see couples, people in relationships, to show that these are real people, to put a human face to the discrimination, he said.
The Democrats are expecting a large number of submissions against reforms from the religious right.
With that in mind we’re expecting people from the GLBT community to make submissions, to make their voices heard, he said.
Submissions and photographs can be sent to [email protected] before 3 September. Those contributing will be invited to attend the inquiry.