Page 3569 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 22 October 2013
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.” These words of Martin Luther King Junior serve as a reminder of the struggle for inclusion and acceptance, and inspire us in this 21st century civil rights movement—a movement represented in small part in the public gallery today.
The struggle of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex Australians for equality continues. But much has been achieved in the past decade—much of it delivered by Labor governments nationally and in the states and territories, all of it opposed by conservatives. Canberra, indeed Australia, is a much more inclusive society as a result of these reforms.
This government believes that all loving, committed relationships between two consenting adults should be legally recognised, should be treated equally and should be celebrated. These values underpin the legislation that we are debating today.
We understand that legislative change alone does not change a society. If I might borrow a phrase at this point:
A certificate on paper isn’t gonna solve it all … But it’s a pretty damn good place to start.
So today we are making a clear statement about the sort of society that we want to live in. Like the equality bills that have come before, this reform contributes to the transformation of Canberra. It marks another important step in our journey to become the most LGBTI-friendly city in Australia. Whether it is the rainbow territory or the city of love, it is an important journey for us. And I have no doubt that this reform will transform many lives.
In my inaugural speech in this place way back in May 2006, I spoke about how good governments lead on important social issues. Over the past decade the passage of ACT Labor’s numerous equality bills have made a huge difference in the lives of thousands of Canberrans who previously lived as second-class citizens in their own city.
These reforms have been important for families. The family is the basic unit of our society, but family can take many forms. And let me be clear: all of Labor’s equality reforms are pro-family. They strengthen family and they strengthen relationships. What is anti-family is the arrogant declaration that family and marriage are closed, narrowly defined and exclusive institutions, and that they are on such shaky ground that enlarging the concept could see the whole thing fall apart. That is what diminishes these institutions. There is simply no evidence that allowing same-sex couples to marry weakens the institution of marriage. The experience everywhere in the world where these reforms have been adopted shows the exact opposite. Discrimination of this kind has no place in any modern society.
I know, and all of my colleagues know, that the passage of this bill will remove a form of discrimination that is intensely felt. It will also help ensure that same-sex couples receive the dignity and the respect to which they are entitled.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video