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equality Victoria Australian politics - Rainbow Reporter

Rainbow Report tonight 11/12

December 10th 2008 22:57

Another hour of news and current affairs for the Rainbow Crew.

Jayne Crawley - team leader for Arts & Culture with the City of Melbourne – talking about OutCities, a program of Melbourne queer arts and events being staged at Copenhagen OutGames next summer.

After some initial confusion, it seems Australia became a co-sponsor of the French motion for a declaration by the UN General Assembly on same-sex rights. Simon Margan of Community Action Against Homophobia has that story for us.

Our new Lord Mayor Robert Doyle has already started making waves as he settles in at Town Hall – the Age joked that his first move had been to ditch the word Mayor from his title – so we’ve asked him back for a chat.

Corey Irlam has been, as always, busy leaning on the politicians on our behalf, and specifically on behalf of those members of our community who are being forced to pay the price of equality.

Cathy Anderson makes a welcome return tonight after a sojourn in the Western Desert of suburban Sydney.

And finally, Miss Kaye Sera looks beneath a festive bonnet tonight as she morphs into Madame Santa contemplating what the government should have done to get the economy moving this festive season.

That's The Rainbow Report, Joy 94.9FM Melbourne, streaming ,live at www.joy.org.au: podcasts at the same address and also via iTunes store.

Join me 7-8pm AEDST: call 61 (0)3 9699 2949 / onair@joy.org.au / Txt: 0427 JOY 949

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Posted By: Doug Pollard - Category: gay rights, equality, same-sex, Melbourne, Victoria, Australian politics, discrimination, sport

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A Gay Christmas List

November 23rd 2008 01:56

Hey, look, I can do this 'blessing' thing, too!!

Santa Kev is on track to deliver my Christmas present: the Omnibus Bill removing the discrimination against same-sex couples identified by the Same Sex: Same Entitlements report. A big thank you to the Australian Human Rights Commission, to the government for keeping its promises, and to everyone working towards equality. But there’s lots of other things on my list for Santa Kev.

Last minute present for 2008: fix up benefits and entitlements. If we’re in a relationship, from July our entitlement will be calculated on our income as a couple. If I’m on benefit and partnered with a high earner, Centrelink will give me less money, or maybe none at all. If we’re both on benefit, we’ll drop to the couple rate. It’s going to be a struggle.

I’m not asking for a continuation of the special treatment we’ve had up to now. Instead, lift everybody’s benefits to a level we can actually live on. We’re with the old people and the disabled and everyone else on this.

The gift you left out this year: private same-sex superannuation. Your reforms only helped 10% of us – those in Commonwealth superannuation schemes. For the 90% of us with private super, you left it up to the funds to decide whether they could afford to treat us equally. We have to ask them if they do, and if they don’t, move our money to one that does – and hope they don’t change their minds later.

Next years BIG present: new anti-discrimination laws. State anti-discrimination laws cover sexuality, but they don’t work very well. I know from experience that under Victorian law it’s very difficult to prove discrimination. The process is slow, complex, expensive, and bureaucratic.

And there’s a huge loophole. You can discriminate against GLBTI people if 'the discrimination is necessary for the ... [offender] to comply with the ... [offender’s] genuine religious beliefs or principles'. Other state anti-discrimination laws contain similar loopholes, though none so obscenely wide.

This legalises discrimination in ‘religious’ schools, universities and hospitals, all paid work arrangements, the provision of goods and services and all other areas covered by the Act, in adoption, employment, medical services, education, training, and housing. All these ‘religious’ businesses – including the well-known food company Sanitarium – are also tax-exempt. It’s OK – and tax-free - to be a bigot, so long as you’re a religious bigot. That can’t be right.

Please fix up Commonwealth anti-discrimination law so that it includes discrimination on the grounds of sexuality, overrides all those confusing state laws, and cuts out the ‘religious’ exemptions.

A little something for the kids: make sure the new national curriculum includes GBLTI issues, for example, in history, culture and sex and relationship classes. We’re sick of being the invisible Australians.

The “Daddy, Daddy, can I please have a pony NOW?” present: marriage. Of which I’ve written more than enough already.

I know this looks pushy. I haven’t even got this year’s present and already I’m asking for 2009. But this way you’ll get my letter before anyone elses!!

Oh, and one more thing. Tell those whingers from the CMST (church, mosque, synagogue, temple) lobby they have to play nice next year or you’ll take away their lucrative tax exemptions and government contracts and give them to somebody who deserves them (hint)!!

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Posted By: Doug Pollard - Category: religion, gay rights, gay marriage, equality, Victoria, gay politics, Australian politics, discrimination

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Sham 'conscience vote' on Assisted Reproduction Bill

October 24th 2008 09:43

How Stuff Works - A Liberal/National 'Conscience' Vote

Q: When is a conscience vote not a conscience vote?

A: When you are told that you are of course free to exercise your conscience – just don’t be surprised if you’re out of a job come pre-selection time

That’s the situation facing Liberal and National members of the Victorian upper house, as the vote on Assisted Reproduction Treatment draws near – perhaps as soon as next week.

Both major parties have allowed their members a conscience vote – but the Liberals and Nationals are determined they won’t lose this one.

They lost on the same-sex relationship register, stem cell research and abortion, but now the party hierarchy has drawn a line in the sand.

‘They’ve had their three strikes,’ I was told, ‘one more and they’re out.’

The party is of course at liberty to impose discipline and insist all members toe the line – provided they do so publicly. Everyone would then know the party policy on the issue.

But if the LibNats do that, it’s an invitation to Labor to do likewise – and then the bill would almost certainly pass.

As it stands, by maintaining the illusion of a free vote by all members, some Labor members feel free to vote against the bill. Combine that with a 100% LibNat ‘No’ vote, and the bill goes down.

Of course, on the record it’s all above board, no pressure, totally free. But off the record it’s a different story. Members being told that if they vote for the bill – as their conscience dictates – then they can expect ‘very close scrutiny of your preselection’, according to one upper house member.

It’s not hard to work out who must be under this kind of pressure, whatever they may feel obliged to say in public. Genuine Liberals in the traditional Menzies mould, such as Matthew Guy, Andrea Coote, Wendy Lovell and Donna Petrovich, who have a record of supporting gay and lesbian issues, are obvious targets for this sort of bullying.

‘I wouldn’t use words like “threatened”, or “bullied”,’ said one source.

Being told you have to vote against your conscience while pretending to do the opposite, under threat of losing your job, sure looks a lot like bullying and threatening to me.

And it seems to work. There was a free vote in the lower house on the ART Bill – and not a single LibNat voted in favour. That’s rather too large a coincidence for me, even without the leaks now coming from the upper house.

The Victorian Liberal Party, that famously ‘broad church’, suddenly seems terribly narrow, doesn’t it?

UPDATE SUNDAY

I have been in touch with a Liberal or two and have been told that this story is, according to them, 'crap'. I have been told by a gay Liberal:

The Liberal Party simply doesn't work that way.

Opponents have thousands of letter writers. We have about three people. If you had three letters vs one thousand, which way would you go?

Well in my book a conscience vote means you vote according to your own personal conscience in the matter. Not the policy of your party, and not the conscisnce of your constituents, you PERSONAL conscience.

This 'reassurance' seems to me to affirm what I have been told - that pressure is being applied to get people to toe the line.

There are legitimate concerns about the Bill. I have told Corey they need to consult and find a way to split off sections of the Bill that will be palatable and get through.

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Posted By: Doug Pollard - Category: gay rights, equality, Melbourne, Victoria, gay politics, Australian politics, discrimination, parenting

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On The Rainbow Report Thursday Night

August 6th 2008 06:45

Every Thursday evening 7-8pm AEST broadcasting live from Melbourne on Joy 94.9FM, streaming live at www.joy.org.au. Podcasts available on the Joy site by the weekend.

Last week we had a few things to say about Jeff Kennett, but he’s rather gone to ground since then. But the issue of gays in sport, the entrenched homophobia in sport, hasn’t gone away. In fact, if anything Jeffs intervention made it worse

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Posted By: Doug Pollard - Category: gay rights, equality, same-sex, Melbourne, Victoria, gay politics, Australian politics, sport, radio

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Kennett now equates bisexual footy trainers with pedophile priests (LINK)

August 2nd 2008 21:00

Dark Night Priest

Well, I was going to lay off Jeff Kennett, but the man just keeps chewing on that foot in his mouth. In the Herald Sun today he continues to make a link between bisexuality and pedophilia. Such a link does not exist, and such a slur is incredibly damaging

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