With the federal election looming, there are a number of political parties offering to fight for increased rights and equality of GLBTI people and families. The key parties offering this are the Greens, the Australian Sex Party and the Secular Party of Australia. The Liberal Party offers no hope for advancing the rights of GLBTI people and families in Australia. The Australian Labor Party has previously advanced the rights for GLBTI people and removed a lot of the discrimination that we had been facing, however it is currently not prepared to turn around any significant existing discrimination facing GLBTI people, most notably in the area of marriage.
The Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group (TGLRG) has set up a web site “Moving Forward“. They have surveyed a number of political parties and posted their responses online. Take some time to read these survey responses. TGLRG will post responses from other political parties as they are received.
The electorates of Melbourne Ports (VIC) and Wentworth (NSW) contain the largest Jewish populations in the country. They both also contain significant gay, lesbian and bisexual populations.
The Greens’ Sue Plowright, the Australian Sex Party’s Christian Vega and the Secular Party’s Gregory Storer are candidates in Melbourne Ports. The Greens’ Matthew Robertson and the Secular Party’s John August are candidates in Wentworth. [I have provided links here for candidate’s web sites that I am aware of. I will post others if they are brought to my attention.]
If you are in Melbourne Ports, LIVE are running a candidates forum on August 10. Click here* for details and to RSVP. You can also send a question to the candidates via the web site.
If you are in Wentworth, Network (for Jewish young adults who are searching for, questioning and celebrating their Jewish identity) are running a pre-election candidate forum on August 11. Click here for details and to register.
As I become aware of further such meetings or supportive candidate details prior to the election I will post them to my blog. If you have any relevant details feel free to post a comment below. Thanks.
Michael.
* http://live.org.au/community-events/candidates-forum
I don’t know why anyone would vote for a party that doesn’t have respect for all, the major parties are to busy pandering to the christian lobby. Thanks for the update Mr. Bear
Don’t forget that in Victoria it was the late Sir Rupert Hamer’s Liberal Government that decriminalised homosexuality
Pity the federal Liberal Party can’t continue on in his footsteps. They don’t have a single policy that even mentions homosexuality or gay people.
Tony Abbott is so scared of gay people (by his own admission) and is so staunch in his Catholic beliefs that I can’t imagine he would even begin to want to have anything to do with us.