Page 711 - Week 02 - Thursday, 23 February 2012
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in this place and has been a strong supporter of those in the community who have sought to champion these reforms.
So I do not for a minute accept the essence of the accusation that has come across the chamber that John is somehow a homophobe who has been in hiding over some period of time. It was, as I said, a very poor joke. It reminded me a little of something you might see in an episode of The Office. David Brent might be proud of that particular piece of material.
I think what gets me is the absolute hypocrisy of this issue being raised in this way. Mr Hanson spoke in his presentation about what constitutes a bad man. In my view, a bad man is someone who professes to be interested in advancing a cause or a group of disadvantaged citizens, who expresses that in their inaugural speech in this place and says that this is something that matters to him, and then, when it comes to every significant issue—
Mr Hanson interjecting—
MR BARR: every vote that might matter, every opportunity to actually do something, every opportunity to actually do something, votes the other way.
Members interjecting—
MR SPEAKER: One moment, Mr Barr. Members, I have a very short tolerance for interjection in this debate. We are going to conduct it in the manner we have so far. Mr Barr, you have the floor.
MR BARR: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Back in 2009, when Mr Hanson’s staffer went on a little rage, describing this place as a perfect little hippie-homo marriage—bark-sandal-wearing, basket-weaving, pot-smoking, heroin-injecting capital city of Australia. When that was said on public record—
Ms Gallagher: What happened then? Nothing.
MR BARR: What happened then? In 2010, when Mr Smyth got up in this place and, in having a long-winded and usual go at me, described me as a sissy, what happened then? What happened then?
I have got to say that, in the context of this issue being raised, what I look for is what I believe is the decent thing to do. You have a person who actually believes what they do. If there is anything positive that can come out of all of this, it is that we might all reflect a little on who is actually being heard in all of the politics here. It serves as a reminder of why people have to campaign so hard to not be the subject of this sort of thing. No; it is not okay to be called a sissy. It is not okay to have those sorts of rants go on. And no; the sorts of jokes that were passed around the chamber are not okay. It is not okay.
In everything I have to do to say that and to keep on reminding people that it is not okay—that, I suppose, in one way motivates me to keep on fighting on behalf of
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