Page 5104 - Week 16 - Wednesday, 27 November 1991
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MR SPEAKER: Again, Mr Stevenson, I would ask you to address the clauses as they come up.
MR STEVENSON: Mr Speaker, I can understand the Labor Party's reluctance to have me speak on these matters. What is the basis of this clause? Why is it there? Why are things listed there? Why are there things not listed there?
I must be able to speak on these things by quoting people's ideas on what the basis of these things is. That is certainly not too wide an argument; but I take your point. If I find myself straying on any particular point and not talking to the particular matter, I will certainly try to get back on the track. But these points are important. The reason behind this legislation and these individual clauses, I feel, is vital. This clause says:
This Act applies to discrimination on the ground of any of the following attributes ...
I am told that if I talk about any of these attributes I am not talking about discrimination on the grounds of any of these attributes. I find myself at a loss to understand that. That is what subclause 7(1) talks about. It says, basically, that you are not allowed to discriminate on the various grounds. Where is the objection to talking about those grounds as grounds upon which you are not allowed to discriminate?
If this sort of legislation had been put through six years ago it would have been spoken against very strongly by members of the Liberal Party, and indeed it was. That is exactly what happened at that time. They spoke well about it. As I mentioned, I was reading Mr Everingham's statement on what he thought about it. He said that the qualifications of someone selected to oversee these particular attributes probably would be an Australian Labor Party membership ticket and a file of newspaper photographs showing them mouthing slogans or fighting with policemen in a street demonstration or a picket line. I wonder whether there is any relevance to what has been happening at Aidex recently. Perhaps Mr Stefaniak might have some thoughts on that.
It is one thing to say that we should have these attributes listed, but when we list those attributes it is very important to look at the sort of people that we are going to have deciding whether or not you or anybody else discriminated against someone. This whole Bill, as I have said before, should be done away with. This particular clause, like all the others, should be deleted; but if it is going to be allowed the amendment should be made. If there are going to be any changes in this Bill, it should be done not by more administrative action but by the Assembly.
Amendment agreed to.
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