Page 5139 - Week 16 - Wednesday, 27 November 1991
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For that person or organisation then to be able to put a claim against me on the basis that I have discriminated against them because they have, according to this amendment, non-membership of a voluntary body would be, in my view, quite unfair. I am sorry, but I cannot support the amendment, as it is worded, moved by Mr Stefaniak.
MR COLLAERY (6.33): Mr Speaker, I realise that people can be concerned about the inability to join a voluntary association or voluntary body. For example, there are many types of discrimination that this Bill will shortly prevent. As I read from the Australia-Israel Review of 23 October-5 November 1991 at page 6, Mr Eric Butler is reported to have commented that Mr Stevenson was not a member of the League of Rights and would not be eligible to join because he was a member of parliament. That is discrimination against Mr Stevenson on political grounds, is it not? Mr Stevenson laughs; I am making a jocular point. But here you have another example of what you call a voluntary body.
What is a voluntary body? Is the League of Rights a voluntary body? Should Mr Stevenson be able to join it or not? We must be careful here to protect everyone's interests. Mr Butler is making very clear that he will not admit Mr Stevenson because he is a member of parliament. There is a circumstance that perhaps Mr Stevenson might like to address. This clearly is an issue that must excite him. I will hand over to Mr Stevenson at this juncture.
MR STEVENSON (6.34): I could only guess at what was meant, but probably Mr Butler was referring to this particular parliament. Probably he was referring to it as such because this one is unconstitutional, unlike the rest.
Mr Kaine: We will soon know about that, Dennis.
MR STEVENSON: Yes, indeed, we will. Interestingly enough, one could only hypothesise as to why Mr Butler or anyone else would prevent politicians from joining a group. If ever there was a valid reason for someone being prevented from joining a group, I think it would be because he or she is a politician.
If someone regularly makes promises before elections and then breaks those promises, would that not be a reasonable reason to deny that person membership of an organisation? When you have people who take no notice of the majority expressed will of the people, would not that be a valid reason for rejecting someone's membership to a body? When you have people who regularly break the law, the very law that they are supposed to uphold, would that not be a valid reason for rejecting someone?
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