Victoria reinstates religious right to discriminate
The Baillieu Government’s controversial Equal Opportunity Amendment Bill has been passed through the Upper House.
The bill passed early this morning, with 19 votes to 17.
The legislation will reverse changes made by the former Brumby Government — due to come into effect in August — which tightened the ability of religious organisations to discriminate against GLBT people.
Liberal MLC Bernie Finn said the legislation was about fulfilling the Baillieu Government’s election promise.
“The people of Victoria went to an election, and they voted for us,” Finn said.
“They put us on this side of the house, and this was one of the promises we made.
“Before the election this is what we said we would do.”
Voting in favour of the bill, Liberal MLC Andrea Coote admitted she had a “dilemma” with competing community interests in her electorate, the Southern Metropolitan region which includes Prahran and St Kilda .
“I am very fortunate to have a very large, vibrant gay community … they are a rich and diverse part of our community … many of the things they have as concerns I hold very dearly,” Coote said.
“I also have a very large Jewish community [who] have some major concerns about their religious-based schools.
“They have been subject to prejudice and discrimination for centuries, and it is important … for us to get the balance right, to put parameters in place and to make quite certain that people are protected.”
Opposing the legislation, Labor MLC Martin Pakula said the passage of the bill would be a backwards step.
“This state has a very proud history of supporting and proposing laws that enhance equality of opportunity, laws that enhance fairness and allow people, to the greatest extent possible, to achieve and flourish based on their inherent talents,” Pakula said.
“One of the things I think Victorians are most proud of — is that historically we have been the trailblazer for promoting diversity and equal rights, and every change we have made in the last 30 years has been about enhancing those rights, not about removing those rights.
“This bill changes that, for the first time.”
Several amendments put forward by Greens MLC Sue Pennicuik to reverse the proposed changes were voted down.
“The bill is a step backwards in achieving human rights in Victoria,” Pennicuik said.
“I heard somebody say in the media that June 1 2011 will go down as a notorious day, the day the standing orders were suspended in such a way as to allow the [EO Amendment Bill] to be brought back in against all convention.
“The bill going through the house … will also be a sad day for human rights in this state.”
This is a cowardly move by a right-wing govt that is homophobic to the core. Baillieu has no heart. He is out of touch with community attitudes towards LGBTs which had progressed under the Brumby govt.
I agree with Mike, it is disgusting. It’s shameful also to think that such attitudes still prevail in our so called civilised, contemporary society.
It would be nice if the paper actually told us a little about the bill.
Very light on details.
Kind of pointless reading.
“They put us on this side of the house, and this was one of the promises we made.
“Before the election this is what we said we would do.”
Seriously? This promise you choose to live up to? You cut funding to schools, and go back on your promises to teachers about payrise so much that your government is talking about job cuts, and THIS you choose to keep?
I didn’t vote for you, and I don’t anybody else except the upper classes who are monarchists/religious arseholes who think that they have the right to tell people who they should and shouldn’t love.
These are also the same people who are trying to ‘enlighten’ people in the Middle East about who they should love and how they should run their own country and their own religions. Nothing but school yard BULLIES!
This is disgusting. We’re all Australians regardless of what the bigots might think. Discrimination and inequality are UNAUSTRALIAN.
Typical of the Liberal Scum that runs Victoria.