OPINION
Brian Greig is a veteran advocate and spokesperson for Just.Equal Australia.
At every election party politics gets sharper and louder as polling day approaches. Party supporters retreat into ideological camps and everything becomes a pantomime where we cheer the heroes and hiss the villains.
Enter John Carey MP, stage left. Mr Carey was recently appointed by Labor as the attack-dog on Lord Mayor (and Liberal candidate) Basil Zempilas, and he seized the opportunity during the Pride Parade to have a dig at him. The criticisms of Mr Zempilas are understandable, but there are valid questions about whether the parade was the right vehicle to vent them.
The offending placard read: “Basil Zempilas shut down a womens’ shelter”. It could equally have read: “Labor shut down the Inclusive Schools Program.”
Another read, “Libby Mettam will reverse gender recognition laws.” This could equally have read: “Labor failed best-practice gender recognition laws.”
For our communities, it’s the substance, detail and commitment to law reform that matters, not the Punch and Judy Show between candidates and parties as they posture for election. And the increasing vote for minor parties and independents is largely due to the cynicism and mistrust of major parties.
Have we all forgotten that Labor promised to update the Equal Opportunity Act to protect teachers and teachers in faith schools this term – but betrayed that promise in February?
It was the same with the promise to extend hate speech protections to LGBTIQ+ this term, and the promise to legislate against conversion practices – also pushed off until after the election.
The elephant in the room is Law Reform. It’s not about placards in the Pride Parade, political censorship, or Pride’s guidelines on participation. All that is a distraction from the weakness, delays and broken promises of substantive legislative updates.
The Liberals can’t win the next election, but Basil Zempilas may well become Opposition Leader. In this context, it is critical that there is dialogue and lobbying on LGBTIQ+ policy with the man who may be Premier in five year’s time. The fact is, Zempilas has a reasonable track record here after he stumbled badly a few years ago, copped a backlash, apologised, and then agreed to establish the Perth Pride Hub to liaise with the City.
The issue for Zempilas, however, is that he is now associated with a party that has a negative attitude to comprehensive LGBTIQ+ law reform and a Shadow Attorney General (and factional warlord) who represents the religious right. Rather than shouty slogans, I believe there is more to be gained by meeting with Zempilas, and also asking him to engage in key policy questions on law reform.
Earlier this year, Busselton Pride Alliance in Libby Mettam’s electorate wrote to the Liberal Leader asking several questions on LGBTIQ+ policy, and her party’s approach to them. BPA also asked to meet with the local MP to discuss this. Mettam never responded to the survey or the meeting request.
Now seems a good opportunity to write to Zempilas, as a high-profile Liberal candidate, with the opportunity for him to spell-out his party’s LGBTIQ+ policies.
These same policy questions have already been put to Premier Cook, who provided incomplete and evasive answers back in August.
Yes, it’s wrong that Mayor Zempilas closed a women’s shelter. Meanwhile, LGBTIQ+ students and teachers are vulnerable to expulsion and sacking from faith schools, because neither McGowan nor Cook banned this discrimination despite repeated promises since 2016.
Yes, it’s appalling that Libby Mettam wants to wind-back trans reforms. Meanwhile, vulnerable LGBTIQ+ people are being subjected to insidious conversion practices, because WA is now one of only two states where it remains legal.
Both major parties have a lot to answer for. Enough of the Punch and Judy show. Demand law reform by holding all MPs and candidates to account.
