Rainbow Report on Coalitions
February 13th 2012 06:06
Rabbi Shimon Cowen
COALITION IN DANGER
The first coalition I want to talk about is the Safe Schools Coalition. This popular and successful initiative to tackle homophobic bullying in Victorian schools has come under an extraordinary attack from the Australian Family Association, whose patrons include such beacons of sanity as Margaret Court.
One of the other patrons is Rabbi Shimon Cowen, son of the late Sir Zelman Cowen, who claims that this important program is "dishonest, corrupt and unconstitutional".
I disagree. So do prominent Jewish community leaders. But they refuse to say so publicly. The full story is here.
THE MISSING COALITION
Then I want to look at the missing coalition in parliament. Of course we all know that the Liberals and Nationals have a formal coalition, whereas Labor, the Greens and the Independents have a sort of de facto arrangement – which is quite appropriate really for a government led by Julia Gillard.
This de facto arrangement produces some fairly odd contortions – in parliament, I mean, not up at the Lodge.
THE COLLAPSED COALITION?
And finally, after many delays, the ALSO Foundation is about to hold its AGM, delayed. ALSO is or was not so much a coalition as a chimera, a curious fusion of disparate groups all trying to fit under one not very secure umbrella.
Has it now found a way forward in its new streamlined mode, or will this be the graceful exit that has beckoned for so long? Wayne Elliss-Elliott puts us in the picture.
Joining me in the studio is Brett Hayhoe, the President of Pride March Victoria.
SHOWTIME/CONTACT
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Comment by melina
For your perusal,
Great show challenging the status quo.
Comment by Anonymous
That's not real leadership.................or decent goodwill in that individual.
Gold Doug as per usual!!!
Comment by Anonymous
For your perusal