Page 866 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 9 March 2016
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substance of the horrific interventions that have come from some of his federal colleagues. Let me be very clear: this government does not believe, like the former Prime Minister, like Senator Bernardi and like Mr Christensen, the member for Dawson, I believe—
Mr Doszpot interjecting—
MADAM SPEAKER: Order, Mr Doszpot! You were heard in silence.
MR BARR: This government does not support any of the outrageous accusations that they have made in the federal parliament—
Mr Doszpot: Nor did we.
MADAM SPEAKER: Mr Doszpot, you are on a warning.
MR BARR: or on the public record. Let me be clear: this program, the safe schools program, is not about social engineering, it is not about indoctrinating kids into “Marxist cultural relativism”, nor is it about the grooming work that a sexual predator might undertake—which would have to be the most abhorrent accusation made in this debate, in fact, on almost any issue relating to LGBTI policy in this country in recent years. It is an absolute outrage that an individual made that statement in our nation’s parliament, about teachers and about the foundation for young Australians who are behind this program and, indeed, in the context of the ACT, about the good work of the team at Sexual Health and Family Planning.
Let me make some more very clear and definitive statements. It is okay to be gay. It is okay to be lesbian. It is okay to be bisexual, transgender or intersex. There is nothing wrong with you, Madam Speaker, if you are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or intersex. You are not abnormal. You do not deserve to be discriminated against and you do not deserve to be treated in the way that the former Prime Minister, Senator Bernardi and MP Christensen have done in the last week or two. You do not deserve that. You do not deserve to have those things said about you. This government will stand up for you, because we believe you are full citizens in this city and in this country, and your rights and your feelings matter to us.
That is an absolute, definitive, rock-solid statement of values. Today we will put those values very clearly on the agenda in this place and demonstrate our support for this program, for LGBTI kids, and we will not stand for what has been said publicly. What worries me is that this sets the tone for the sort of public commentary that we are likely to see in this country if we have a plebiscite on marriage equality.
The fact that the Australian Christian Lobby want to set aside all of the protections that are there against this sort of hate speech speaks volumes for what is coming from the conservative right and the religious right in this country. It is an outrage—and people need to stand up for it, and this place needs to stand up against it—because this hurts real people. These are some of the most vulnerable kids in our city and in this country, and they are going to have no stronger advocate than I and this government to support them in their education and to support them to achieve their full potential.
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