One law changes, 57 stay? No thanks

(7/11) Sydney Morning Herald | " ... a promise by the embattled Malcolm Turnbull (pictured left) to fix the superannuation problems of gay and lesbian public servants was greeted with dead silence this week by community leaders gathered to hear him in a fancy Double Bay hotel.

It's a promise that has been around since before the last election. These people know Mr Turnbull is on their side - if only because they've seen his full-page ads in the gay press, week after week. So when he trotted out this old pledge again on Wednesday night they were polite enough but went on eating.

Mr Howard always had opponents in the party room as he dabbled in the politics of sex over the past half-dozen years. They fought him when he opposed IVF for lesbians, banned adoptions by same-sex couples, redefined marriage - with Labor support - as a union of a man and a woman, and vetoed the ACT's plans for same-sex civil unions.

At each step along this path, Mr Howard declared he was not discriminating against gays and lesbians.

"I am in favour of removing areas of discrimination," he vowed last year. "If there are … areas of genuine discrimination, then I'm in favour of getting rid of them."

But when the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission identified 58 Commonwealth laws discriminating against same-sex couples in June this year, Mr Howard dug in his heels.

At a fiery cabinet meeting in late August, Mr Turnbull led almost all the ministers present in urging the Prime Minister to carry out the reforms. He refused.

.... Mr Howard is listening instead to church demands that reform must never come on the basis of sex. The states and territories have fixed all the problems simply by redefining "de facto" to include same-sex couples. But the churches won't have this.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/federal-election-2007-news/one-law-changes-57-stay/2007/11/08/1194329413119.html

National Briefs

(02/10 Out in Perth (a Gay focus Website | " ... Lone Ranger – Minister for Environment and Water Resources Malcolm Turnbull, (pictured left) whose electorate comprises the particularly ‘pink’ inner city Sydney suburbs of Darlinghurst, Paddington and Potts Point, has assured his electorate that he will fight to see ‘justice done’ and discrimination against same sex couples removed. His commitment makes him a lone voice in Federal Cabinet publicly supporting gay rights.

http://www.outinperth.com/index.php/news/national/national-briefs-72

Liberals Stall Calls for Reform

(23/08 Out in Perth (a Gay focus Website | The Federal Cabinet deferred indefinitely a range of same-sex reforms proposed by Attorney-General Philip Ruddock, leaving lobbyists wondering if the Government is playing the gay community for fools.

A spokeswoman for Wentworth MP Malcolm Turnbull (pictured left) said the proposals, believed to centre on recent recommendations made by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, were put on hold at Tuesday night’s Cabinet meeting.

The spokeswoman said there was no indication if or when the equality proposals would be revisited.

The decision has been condemned by the Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby, which all but endorsed a change of government at the next election. Voters clearly have a choice now between one party that’s giving a full commitment to change all 58 laws and another party that is not,’ Lobby spokesman Ghassan Kassisieh said.

... The Howard Government is expected to announce its same-sex reform policy prior to the calling of the election.

But Kassisieh said the decision put a lot of pressure on Turnbull, whose electorate now contains a significant number of gay and lesbian voters.

‘They’ve had substantial time to think about these issues. These things have been in the Government’s face for several years now,’ he said.

‘It’s really disappointing considering how supportive the cabinet members we met with appeared to be.

‘The public’s support is behind these changes and certainly it’s a political issue in Turnbull’s electorate. It’s his issue now. He’s taken over from [Warren] Entsch as the Government’s supporter of same-sex equality.’

http://www.outinperth.com/index.php/news/national/liberals-stall-calls-for-reform?date=2007-12-19

Lesbian use of IVF not in children's interests, says Baillieu.

(26/9/2006) The Age | LESBIANS should not be given the right to IVF treatment, because children deserve to be born into a family with a mother and father, according to State Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu.

In one of his most conservative social stances since taking over the Liberal leadership almost five months ago, Mr Baillieu said he believed only heterosexual couples should be given access to IVF.

"Children come into the world and the appropriate thing is for them to have a mother and a father, and to have a start in life the same as everyone else," he said yesterday

.... Mr Baillieu's comments are in line with the views of Prime Minister John Howard, who believes that "all things being equal, children are entitled to the opportunity of both a mother and a father".

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/lesbian-use-of-ivf-not-in-childrens-interests-says-baillieu/2006/09/25/1159036473101.html