Page 4485 - Week 15 - Tuesday, 19 November 1991
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broad education in matters of sex and sexuality, but I cannot agree with him that the act of kissing is confined to homosexuals. I found his argument there very difficult to follow.
He finally made some comments about the creation of a Star Chamber and so on. I have to point out to Mr Stevenson that the whole emphasis of this Bill is on conciliation. Whilst the commissioner will have very wide powers and very wide discretion, it will be the commissioner's role to try to bring the parties together, to try to get agreement on issues, and only when that process of conciliation breaks down do the penalties and criminal sanctions come into play. Really, Mr Speaker, I think that what we see in Mr Stevenson is a man who has set his mind against this legislation and is prepared to make any argument, however unfounded, however fanciful, to oppose it; so, I do not propose to deal in detail with his proposals.
I would like to thank members for their careful consideration of the Bill. I am very pleased to know that all parties, except Mr Stevenson, will be supporting the Bill and I think it really is a landmark in the life of this Assembly if we manage to get this sort of legislation passed.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Bill agreed to in principle.
Detail Stage
Clause 1
MR STEFANIAK (11.08): I move:
Page 1, line 5, omit "Human Rights and Equal Opportunity", substitute "Discrimination".
The purpose of the amendment is to change the title to what it was under the Alliance Government, and that is the Discrimination Bill. I alluded to this earlier, in my speech in the in-principle stage. This Bill is about discrimination. It goes through, at great length, and quite properly so, various types of discrimination it aims to counter and sets up a mechanism by which discrimination can be countered. Plain English and a reading of this Bill make it quite clear that it is all about discrimination, just as the Crimes Act is about various crimes. Accordingly, the name which this Bill would have had, had there still been an Alliance government, is the correct name.
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