Libs may kill ART bill vote

The Liberal party has denied allegations it has pressured members to vote down the controversial Assisted Reproductive Treatment (ART) Bill due to go before a conscience vote in the upper house.

Debate on the bill, which would, among other things, give IVF rights to lesbians, is expected to start today, but Southern Star has been told some Liberal MPs have had their preselection threatened if they vote for the new legislation.

The bill passed through the lower house two weeks ago -” but strangely not a single Liberal or National party member voted in favour during the nonpartisan -œfree vote.

Earlier this year six Liberal MPs, including Opposition leader Ted Baillieu, crossed the lower house floor to vote for the Relationship Registers Bill which allowed same-sex couples almost the same rights as married couples.

When Southern Star contacted Baillieu’s office a spokesman firmly denied MPs had been instructed to vote either way on the bill.

Upper house Liberal MP Andrea Coote said she been under mounting pressure from -œboth sides of the debate and announced to Southern Star she would vote against the bill.

Coote was a vocal supporter of the register and had been described as socially progressive, however she said she was upset at the level of lobbying from both sides as debate intensified ahead of the vote.

-œPeople are suffering conscience vote fatigue. This is the third in a row, Coote said.

-œMy hope is that the government withdraws this bill and talks about it in public -” to have discussions and debates before it gets to the upper house.

Coote went on to say she was sympathetic to -œloving caring same-sex families and it was a -œpity she would not be voting for the bill.

Albert Park Labor MP Martin Foley said claims of a lack of public consultation were ridiculous. He pointed out the recommendations come from a Victorian Law Reform Commission report.

-œThere has been enormous consultation with the medical, GLBTI community and broader community … this is desperately needed legislation for families, he said. -œIt would be terrible if the rights of children were sacrificed by internal Liberal party maneuvering.

Coote denied she had been under preselection pressure to vote down the bill and said her -œconservative electorate was the reason she would be voting against it.

She said the bill was unlikely to pass because -œprobably all but two [upper house MPs] are ultra-conservative.

A selection of lower house Liberal MPs who voted yes to the relationship register also denied being pressured by the party over future preselection.

MPs Heidi Victoria, Andrew McIntosh and David Morris told Southern Star they hadn’t received pressure from the party. MacIntosh said he had no problem with the fertility aspects, however he did not support the bill because the surrogacy was -œa bridge too far.