TASMANIAN GAY AND LESBIAN RIGHTS GROUP, Media Statement, Sunday August 23rd 2009
Human Rights advocate, Martine Delaney, says that while she welcomes healthy debate, she will seriously consider a fresh anti-discrimination complaint against the Liberal Party if it attacks the human rights of transgender and intersex people in the lead up to the next state election.
The warning is in response to a claim yesterday by Liberal state director, Jonathan Hawkes, that the Party “could not rule out future ads targeting Greens policies on transgender and intersex people”.
Hawkes’ statement came after it was announced a resolution had been reached in a complaint by Ms Delaney against the Liberal Party over the Party’s involvement in the publication of Exclusive Brethren ads targeting transgender and intersex issues in the lead up to the 2006 state election.
The resolution saw the Liberal Party admit the extent of its involvement in the Brethren ads in return for Ms Delaney dropping her complaint.
“If the Liberal Party intends to foster a mature, healthy community debate about transgender and intersex human rights, I’d warmly welcome it”, Ms Delaney said.
“But if Liberal election materials incite fear and hatred at the expense of already vulnerable members of our community, the Party will find itself back before the Anti-Discrimination Commission.”
Ms Delaney said she is disappointed the Liberal Party made such a provocative statement only hours after a resolution was announced in her 2006 complaint.
“For a group of people who espouse social and personal responsibility, they don’t always show much of it themselves”, she said.
Ms Delaney has also expressed dismay that the Liberals refused to apologise for their role in the 2006 advertisements, despite the publication of an apology earlier in the week by the Exclusive Brethren members involved with the ads.
The above statement by Mr Hawkes was reported in yesterday’s edition of the Launceston Examiner (22.8.09, p9) http://www.examiner.com.au/news/local/news/politics/liberals-admit-preparing-ads-with-brethren/1603067.aspx
