Page 1261 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 16 April 1991
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Mr Duby: Like the secret bans in the hospital.
MR HUMPHRIES: The secret bans in the hospital are a good analogy. Mr Speaker, I do not take these claims seriously. If Mrs Grassby has some things to show me that are facts, then I will listen, but not before.
Alleged Violence against Gay Community
DR KINLOCH: My question is to Mr Collaery in his role as Attorney-General, and the subject matter is the alleged violence against the gay community in the ACT. Could the Attorney-General say whether the Australian Federal Police has received any reports of alleged violence against members of the gay community in the ACT? And, to add to that, what action has been taken by the police to curb such violence?
MR COLLAERY: I thank Dr Kinloch for the question. My advice today from the police is that, of the 10 attacks referred to in the media, only one attack has been reported to the police. I think it is important to point out to the gay community that the police are unable to keep statistics or to understand patterns of violence affecting the gay community if the offences are not reported. And, if they are reported, it depends on whether they are reported in the context of attacks on them that may be related to their sexual preferences.
So, I accept that there is a double challenge facing the community, and that is that the gay community will have enough confidence in our community policing force to reveal their sexual preferences, in the context of why they believe they were attacked. I believe that that is an area that we need to work on with the community policing liaison branch, who are responsible, in fact, for conducting the liaison with the gay community. There has been contact in the past, and I am advised that effort has been given to working with it. I am sure that members, and particularly Mr Moore, understand the concern that we all have in the community for the current spate of violence.
A constituent telephoned me early this morning and he informed me that commercially made bumper stickers were now appearing, with messages that tended to incite discrimination and violence against gays. I have not had the opportunity yet to refer that to the police. I will do that later today. I believe that we need to determine authorship of that material, if it exists. I have been informed of the location of some of the material and where it appears in Haig Park. I wish to ensure that we can determine whether there is an organised front to this activity, and whether it emanates from within this city, or from some other place, perhaps further north.
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