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The Rainbow Reporters new show, Freshly Doug, broadcasts live every Thursday 9-noon AEST in Melbourne Australia on 94.9 FM, streaming via the web at joy.org.au.

Australian politics Melbourne - Rainbow Reporter

Come & Support Suicide Prevention Group Friday

July 15th 2010 08:44
defy religious bigotry
No To Hate


Support Way Out at VCAT tomorrow - spread the word

WayOut Victoria - who are battling the Christian Brethren who refused to allow them to use facilities they run on Philip Island - are being out-supported in the court in their VCAT anti-discrimination hearing against the Christian Brethren.


The Brethren are shipping in year 12 students as supporters. Yep - they are proudly showing the kids their bigotry.

For those who don't already know - the Christian Brethren refused to allow the gay youth suicide prevention group hire their commercially operated campground at Phillip Island.

Please spread the word - they need supporters at VCAT Friday 10am to 4PM, 55 King Street Melbourne.

Nearest station Southern Cross. Stay for 30m, stay all day. Just come, bring a friend and meanwhile spread the word.
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A Wasted Vote

July 12th 2010 10:29
a wasted vote

Hawaii was once a very beautiful place, but even twenty years ago, when I first visited, the beauty was steadily being concreted over to provide hotels, restaurants and resorts for the people attracted by the very beauty they were destroying.

Oahu, and with it, Waikiki, was already pretty much lost, but Maui was still largely unspoilt. Then when we returned ten years later, Maui was littered with condominiums, golf courses, restaurants and shopping centres.


The economic imperative – do whatever it takes to accommodate more visitors – had overridden all else, destroying in the process the very beauty that drew visitors in the first place.

The Labor Party is a lot like Hawaii. The electoral imperative – win power at all costs – is steadily obliterating the reasons one once voted for them. Refugees are once again being tossed overboard, along, of course, with us queers.

There used to be a least a few politicians who would stand for what they believed in, even if it cost them votes. This was called leadership.

Interviewing Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner on Joy last week, I asked him, what about leadership? Surely it’s one of the jobs of a politician to sometimes get in front of public opinion and lead, rather than just follow?

He smiled rather sadly, and said, having been lobbied by a lot of people in his time, he could tell me that “When people have the numbers, they talk about democracy, and when they don’t, they talk about leadership.”

The only remaining justification – it cannot be dignified with the name of reason – I can find to vote for Labor now is that the alternative would be worse. But the difference is becoming harder to spot.

It must be very tempting, when you’re out of power, to ditch your principles, grab power, and delude yourself that you will do the right thing once you’re elected. Elect us, runs the mantra, and we will deliver something. It won’t be exactly what you want, and it’ll be slower than you’d like. But we will not take risks. We will not lead.

And anyway, the story continues, minor party preferences come back to us in the end. So voting for them won’t do any good.

Well actually, it will.

Even if the candidate isn’t elected, a primary vote for a minor party is not a waste. As I was reminded recently, a primary vote for a minor party earns them just over $2 in electoral funding.

Your preference may pass eventually to a major party - but the cash won’t. So don't waste your vote by giving it to one of the me-too majors. Put it where it might do some good.
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More Queers Overboard

May 9th 2010 03:02
Lindsay Tanner
Lindsay goes after Green voters


Well, it’s been a pretty predictable week. Once again rumours that a gay player would be outed on the Footy Show proved false. Once again Kyle Sandilands showed his quality, mocking a disabled contestant on Australia’s Got Talent. (Question: if Australia HAS got Talent, how did those three get on the panel?)

And once again the Labor government decided it could survive without the support of the LGBTI voter.

Newly announced changes to the Sex Discrimination Act will protect women and men equally from discrimination, increase protections against sexual harassment, and establish breastfeeding as a separate ground of discrimination, according to the press release. All good stuff.

But no plans to extend the act to outlaw discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity.

The release was headlined STRENGTHENING DISCRIMINATION LAWS FOR FAMILIES.

Including two-mum and two-dad families, Mr Attorney-General sir?

It talked about “ensuring that protections from sex discrimination apply equally to women and men”.

Including trans women and men. Mr McClelland? I think we should be told.

Sadly, at the time of writing, answers to the above were not forthcoming.

The Attorney General said, “Ensuring that anti-discrimination law meets the needs of contemporary Australians is an important part of ensuring the promotion and protection of human rights.”

Sure is, Bobby-boy! So how, exactly, do these changes ensure the promotion and protection of the rights of this contemporary Australian?

This is a dangerous game to be playing. Labor is throwing voters overboard on the left without gaining them on the right. Progressive voters are already moving to the Greens, and gay voters are joining them.

Labor is gambling that it doesn’t matter, because preferences will flow to them anyway - if everyone follows the how-to-vote cards instead of using their heads. But this strategy puts a number of high profile names at risk.

The seat of Sydney, held by Housing Minister Tanya Plibersek, has one of the highest gay populations of any electorate in the nation.

In the equally gay seat of Melbourne, it’s reported that private polling already has Greens candidate Adam Bandt pulling ahead of Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner, which would render the preferences argument moot.

Transport Minister Anthony Albanese's seat of Grayndler is also vulnerable.

Ironically, all three favour same-sex rights, but will not break party discipline to support equal marriage. But if they don’t, and the gay vote deserts them, they may not have parliamentary careers for much longer anyway.

And Australian Labor may find that, like their British counterparts, they will need minority party support to cling to office. The forthcoming election gets more interesting by the day.

Doug will MC the Equal Love Rally, Saturday May 15* 1pm, State Library, cnr Swanston / La Trobe St, Melbourne.

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The Charter of Rights: A Fairy Story

April 25th 2010 20:54
julia gillard
Princess Julia eagerly anticipates the latest addition to her portfolio collection by creating a colour-matched office


The Little Peoples of the land petitioned the Wizard for a Charter of Rights. For centuries they had been bullied by the Goddy Folk, who told them what Rights they could have, and if they didn’t like it, they could lump it. The Little People wanted a Charter to guarantee Fairness for Everyone


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A quiet kind of Pride

February 8th 2010 04:09
Doug with Corey Irlam
Doug at Pride with Corey Irlam

Commentating on the Pride March for Joy 94.9 this year gave me a good vantage point – from the back of a stationary ute – which you don’t get when you’re actually marching. And I have to say it was a rather strange Pride March this year. Strange, but also encouraging.

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A Right Royal New Years Message

January 2nd 2010 02:28
The King


Getting Priorities Right in 2010
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Freshly Doug NewYears Eve Grump Special

December 30th 2009 03:39
Grumpy Gorilla
Happy F---ing New F---ing Year!

I was going to call this weeks show 'The Grumpy Old Poufs' until one of our number objected to being tagged as 'old'.

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Catholic tastes

November 15th 2009 07:48

It never ceases to amaze me that while individual Catholics are decent, humane and tolerant people (as numerous opinion surveys have shown), their leaders are a bunch of fuckwits.

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Quick! Send a fridge magnet!

July 15th 2009 02:27
beyondblue
www.beyondblue.org


Ever since he made his major blooper, likening bisexual footy trainers to paedophile priests, I’ve wanted to talk to Jeff Kennett. To find out why a man who, according to all his friends and supporters, didn’t have a homophobic bone in his body, came out with such a dumb, prejudiced piece of stereotyping


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Nationwide Equal Marriage Rallies

July 7th 2009 18:56
marriage equality


Demand Same Sex Marriage Equality August 1st


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Talking 'bout my generation

June 27th 2009 08:53
Mind the gap



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Rainbow Report on Government Gay Stimulus Package

May 7th 2009 00:57
stimulus package
The Australian gay and lesbian community is getting it's own government stimulus package.

The government has responded to criticism for the way it’s managed the introduction of same-sex couple equality by handing out $450k of taxpayers money


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Rainbow Report on Homophobia

April 30th 2009 00:40
Homophobia
Graphic: BBC

This week Thu Apl 30 7-8pm AEST Joy 94.9 Melbourne, streaming live at www.joy.org.au The Rainbow Report looks at Homophobia.

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Rainbow Report on Centrelink

April 22nd 2009 05:38
Australian Gay Flag
Advance Australia Pink


If you're retrenched, will you still be eligible for benefit?
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