Page 639 - Week 02 - Thursday, 23 March 2023
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Government—LGBTIQA+ community
MR DAVIS: My question is to the Chief Minister. Chief Minister, over the lunch break my ACT Greens colleagues Minister Vassarotti, Minister Davidson, Mr Braddock and I attended the counter protest on the lawns of Parliament House, in solidarity with transgender, gender diverse and non-binary Canberrans. This counter protest was in opposition to the far-right extremists seeking to stoke hate and division in our progressive and inclusive community. What message do you have for those rallying on the side of trans rights?
MR BARR: I thank Mr Davis for the question. There is a clear and important message that I think has been expressed ahead of today’s rally by me and most Canberrans, frankly: that that sort of divisive activity is not welcome here and that we stand in support of our broader LGBTIQA+ community but in this instance particularly with our transgender Canberrans, who were really the target of this particular activity.
I will make a couple of observations. The first is that I think Canberra would be the last place you would come to try and seek support for an anti-trans agenda in this country. I think that speaks volumes for the sort of community that we are. From what I have seen in the media reports, 30 people turned up for the rally, more than 10 per cent of those being One Nation or Palmer party senators. That tells you something about how little support there is for this sort of divisive activity.
The contrast with what we have been able to achieve in this place in the last two days, with Australian-first legislation on intersex rights and the passage of the discrimination bill amendments just before question time, reflects what politicians really should be doing. That is making our city more inclusive and making this a better place, rather than playing divisive, fringe, activist games.
MR DAVIS: Chief Minister, what do the nation-leading anti-discrimination laws passed by this Assembly this morning mean for Canberra’s transgender, gender diverse and non-binary people?
MR BARR: Again, thank you, Mr Davis, for the question. We have taken an important step forward in modernising our Discrimination Act. We have taken an important step forward in seeking to respect the contributions of all of our citizens and to remove areas where, clearly, there was either discrimination or the potential for discrimination against certain people because of who they are. That may be in employment, in participation in social clubs, in sporting activities and a range of other areas.
The legislation that we have passed today marks an important step forward. It is another milestone in a very long list of achievements for this parliament. It is worth reflecting that there can be a lot of—how can I put this?—focus and attention on and conflict sought to be created around these issues. Some people make a political career out of seeking to stoke division and that sort of activity. What we are able to achieve in this place, and what we have achieved over two decades, speaks volumes for what can be done to counter those sorts of political stunts.
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