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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 01 Hansard (Tuesday, 10 February 2004) . . Page.. 129 ..

outstanding parents to their children. I do not believe that heterosexual people have the monopoly on perfect parenting as I do not believe that human beings in general are all perfect parents or are all perfect human beings.

This debate has caused me great turmoil, probably more so than the decriminalisation of abortion, which caused me personal heartache in other ways, as many people in this gallery would know. I have found it very difficult because my constituents are very divided on this issue. I have been told that, as an Independent, every vote that I make in this place is, in fact, a conscience vote because I make that decision based on the merits and I assess the issue on its merits. I do not have a party to support or sometimes hide behind and say, “I will let the leader take the fall on this one and just vote according to the way the leader votes.” This issue is about the way that I feel I should vote.

I can assure you that it has caused me grief and turmoil because members of my office and my inner circle have a very differing view from mine. They are not bad people; they are fine people. They have their own set of principles and belief system. Again, I stress that when I hear people from the gallery saying to the Leader of the Opposition, because of his attendance at AIDS Action Council events that they do not want him, they must stop and think that when they say something like that to whomever they are no different and they are no better than those that are discriminating against them and their ability to be parents.

We should not do that. If we are here to eliminate discrimination, if we are here to try to introduce equity into a family situation or society as a whole, we cannot be as bad as others that are discriminating against us. Therefore, we should be careful, take a step back, stay calm and keep people on our side. I think that many of you will know that I have as much reason, if not more, to have concerns and maybe be angry at some of those on the other side for what I went through the year before last, but I do not. I am here to represent the interests of the community and, in order to do what is right for the community, I have to put my personal feeling aside and assess and issue on its merits.

This issue has merits on both sides, because I respect Jim Wallace and I respect Liz Keogh and I respect both groups they represent. So what do I do? I have to make a decision that is best for the community and the decision that I feel is right. I have to examine my conscience. I have to examine what I feel is the right and moral thing for me to do, which is one of the reasons I have circulated this amendment in my name asking that there be a six-month notification date from the time this bill goes through to allow these two groups to come together, to allow the government time to bring these people together, to try to find some middle ground, if at all possible. [Extension of time granted.]

In this instance, this is not an easy position for me, but I am not saying it should be easy: it is really difficult. But tonight I have had the fortune of meeting a lovely young baby called Ethan and his parents. I was at dinner with some people in this place and I was inspired by the love that I saw this child receive from those parents. I have to say that I have always felt that no individual has a monopoly on being ideal in any situation. But having seen heterosexual people parenting, having seen gay people that are friends of mine in the community, it has been a dilemma for me.

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