The Dreyfus Files - The Age
The true nature of the new Victorian Liberal Government is starting to emerge.
Last week the Victorian Attorney-General, Robert Clark, introduced legislation to substantially weaken protection against discrimination for single parents, defacto couples and members of Victoria's gay and lesbian community.
The legislation, if passed, would repeal a carefully drafted provision of the Equal Opportunities Act 2010, enacted by the previous Labor Government. This provision prevents religious groups from discriminating in hiring staff on religious grounds, unless the organisation can identify how a person's sexual orientation or gender identity affects their ability to meet the inherent requirements of the job.
This "inherent requirement" test was enacted after years of extensive consultation, including with religious bodies, and with the support of the Catholic Church.
The Liberal repeal bill has had no such consultation, and the Attorney General has said that no public consultation is proposed. The Victorian Liberals are apparently intent on removing this important safeguard against discrimination, regardless of the views of the community.
And last weekend we had a worrying insight into what may be driving this agenda, when the Sunday Age revealed the contents of an extraordinary letter from a Victorian Liberal MP to one of the voters he represents.
According to the newspaper report, a young man who identified himself as gay recently wrote to the new Member for Frankston Geoff Shaw, to complain about the repeal of the "inherent requirements" test. He made the case that churches "should not be allowed to impose their beliefs on others...in non-religious/mainstream or secular settings".
He poignantly added, "I'm 20 in a week. I'm able to vote. I want to work, live and love freely during the course of my life, and I want to do that without thinking that I can't".
Mr Shaw answered this measured concern from a young man in his electorate with a frothing at the mouth diatribe, which included these bizarre questions. "What if I loved driving 150km per hour in residential areas? What if there was a convicted sex offender who stated that, or a child molester? Can't they still do what they want? Under your statement the answer is yes. What if one wants to get drunk, take drugs, steal, and murder? What if one loves this?"
I hope sincerely that this is not the true nature of the Victorian Liberal Party and Premier Ballieu. I hope that it is rather the uninformed and hurtful view of a single misguided backbencher. But unfortunately that seems not to be the case, as the legislation introduced by the Attorney General on behalf of the Government reflects the same views – a parliamentary encouragement of discrimination and prejudice, when what is needed is the reverse.
The Premier of Victoria should firmly and publicly reject the views expressed by Mr Shaw, who ridiculously ignored the fact that homosexuality is legal in Victoria and all the examples given in his questions are illegal.
And the Premier should withdraw the repeal bill introduced by his Attorney General. If he does not, the Victorian community will have confirmation of the true nature of his very illiberal Liberal Government, a government which is clearly far more socially conservative than it admitted in last year's election.
As the President of the Law Institute of Victoria recently said of the repeal bill, "this is a backward step for equal opportunity and fair employment practices".
