Media release – The Australia Institute Tasmania, 9 November 2022
Deceptive Political Ad Demonstrates Need for Truth in Political Advertising Laws in Tasmania
A prominent advertisement published by the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) in The Mercury today highlights the need for Truth in Political Advertising laws in Tasmania.
Key Details:
- On 9 November 2022, The Mercury published an ad from the ACL that said “Plan to criminalise parents who question their children’s wish to change gender? Likely lose government!” with a link to ACL polling results.
- The Tasmanian Law Reform Institute (TLRI) has proposed reforming Tasmanian law to address sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) conversion practices; these practices treat LGBTQA+ status as a dysfunction that can be suppressed or changed.[1]
- The TLRI recommends that it should be an offence to proscribe SOGI conversion practices that cause (or a person was reckless about causing) serious physical or mental harm.
- The Premier has said that he will consult and take advice before introducing legislation that gives effect to TLRI’s recommendations.[2]
- The ACL conducted polling in Tasmania in September–October 2022 that claimed: “The Tasmanian government is considering new laws to make it illegal for parents or grandparents to question their child’s intention to change gender.” — this is not true.
- The Tasmanian Law Reform Institute (TLRI) has proposed reforming Tasmanian law to address sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) conversion practices; these practices treat LGBTQA+ status as a dysfunction that can be suppressed or changed.[1]
- Truth in Political Advertising Laws have been in operation in South Australia since the 1980s and were used as the model for the Truth in Political Advertising laws which were passed in the ACT Legislative Assembly in 2021. Such legislation has bipartisan support in Victoria.
“The Australian Christian Lobby’s misuse of polling to stoke fear, division and transphobia demonstrates that Tasmania needs truth in political advertising laws,” said Eloise Carr, Director of the Australia Institute Tasmania.
“In an attempt to manipulate politicians and voters, the Australian Christian Lobby used polling to tell Tasmanians something that simply is not true.
“The reality is that in Tasmania it is perfectly legal to lie in a political ad, and it shouldn’t be,” Ms Carr said.
“South Australia has had truth in political advertising laws since the 1980s, the ACT recently legislated them and Victoria has multi-partisan support to do the same,” said Bill Browne, Democracy & Accountability Program Director at the Australia Institute.
“The Federal Government has already committed to produce legislation to enact truth in political advertising laws for national electoral material.
“The revisions to the Electoral Act, currently before the Tasmanian Parliament, provide the opportunity to bring in these vital laws and stamp out misleading advertising. Tasmanian reforms could closely follow and learn from existing laws in other jurisdictions,” Mr Browne said.
The ACL advertisement in question is attached.
[1] https://www.utas.edu.au/law-reform/news-and-events/tlri-news/reforms-needed-to-address-lgbtqa-conversion-practices-in-tasmania
[2] https://tasmps.greens.org.au/parliament/premier-sogi-conversion-practices
Media release – Cassy O’Connor MP, Greens Leader, 9 November 2022
ACL Reduced to Lies in Attack on LGBTIQ+ Tasmanians
In the latest in their long line of scare campaigns, the Australian Christian Lobby has attempted to scare MPs into not supporting a ban on conversion practices by sharing the results of a dodgy ‘survey’.
The Australian Christian Lobby have reached new lows, sending false information to Tasmanians that claims “The Tasmanian government is considering new laws to make it illegal for parents or grandparents to question their child’s intention to change gender.”
This is not true. It is not a subjective interpretation. It is a lie.
What has been recommended by the Tasmanian Law Reform Institute, and broadly supported by the Premier, is banning SOGI conversion practices, which are practices that aim to change, suppress or eradicate people’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
This means, for example, subjecting a person to ‘therapy’, ‘counselling’, or ‘treatment’ to change who they are attracted to, or how they feel about or express their gender to others.
This would not make it illegal to talk to or question your child.
In their report, the TLRI makes it clear that parents “expressing views about sexuality and gender identity, or disapproving of certain sexualities or gender identities, is not, of itself, a conversion practice”.
We are not talking about family discussions – we are talking about forceful or manipulating settings where attempts are made to suppress or eradicate sexual orientation or gender identity.
The evidence is clear that conversion practices not only do not – and cannot – work, but they are also deeply harmful and traumatising.
Parents will not be able to send their children to quacks who purport to be able to change sexuality or gender identities – just like parents cannot send their child to a quack for trepanning or bloodletting.
These are not health practices that work, and they in fact cause harm.
If the Australian Christian Lobby truly believe their position has public support this raises the question, why do they feel the need to lean on such a manifest lie?
We are witnessing the hysterical death throes of an increasingly irrelevant ACL, which is intent on causing as much destruction as it can while it staggers gracelessly into hateful obscurity.
Media release – Cassy O’Connor MP, Greens Leader, 9 November 2022
Premier Too Weak to Tackle Religious Right in his Party
Premier Rockliff failed the courage test in Parliament this morning.
With one of his backbenchers set to host a pro-conversion ‘therapy’, anti-transgender forum in Parliament on 23 November, the Greens asked the Premier whether he agreed this event has the potential to cause harm to LGBTIQ+ Tasmanians, and runs counter to his commitment to ban harmful conversion ‘therapy’.
Mr Rockliff would not, could not, condemn the planned event.
It is Jeremy Rockliff’s policy to adopt the recommendations of the Tasmanian Law Reform Institute (TLRI) report that sets out the evidence base for the need to ban conversion ‘therapy’ which has, caused such suffering to LGBTIQ+ people.
His backbencher is undermining this commitment.
This follows the Premier’s refusal yesterday to criticise disgraceful claims from Liberal Senator Alex Antic, accusing the ABC of ‘grooming’ over the reading of a book that tells young women it is okay to wear pants.
Today, the Premier claims the transphobes behind the planned event are exercising free speech. Why then does he consistently fail to exercise his right to freedom of speech, and make it clear he recognises the proposed event, and comments from Senator Antic, are hateful and harmful to LGBTIQ+ people?
The Premier seems to accept the rhetoric of the far-right that freedom of speech means spewing hateful lies about LGBTIQ+ people is ok – but somehow criticising this hate speech is not ok.
The Premier needs to understand that freedom of speech is not just something that bigots get to exercise to spew hateful misinformation. It is also a tool he is free to use to defend the persecuted and marginalized.
The Religious Right in Jeremy Rockliff’s party room seems to have the numbers.
