Page 4189 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 18 November 2015

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important to let go. From all the documents, whether it be the Australia Council comprising learned academics, individual learned academics, philosophers or other reports, and even the Chief Minister’s own document, it is quite clear that art drives innovation. It is time that we took it seriously. (Time expired.)

Question put:

That the amendment be agreed to.

The Assembly voted—

Question so resolved in the affirmative.

Amendment agreed to.

Motion, as amended, agreed to.

Adjournment

Motion (by Ms Burch) proposed:

That the Assembly do now adjourn.

Free speech

MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra) (5.48): I want to spend some time this evening in the adjournment debate reflecting on the nature of free speech in a similar way to my parliamentary colleagues Senator Eric Abetz and Mr Dominic Perrottet MLA. Many of my constituents have written to me to voice their concern about the referral of the Catholic Archbishop of Hobart, Julian Porteous, to the Tasmanian discrimination commissioner and the decision by that commissioner to essentially press charges for circulating a document through Tasmania’s Catholic schools called “Don’t mess with marriage”.

Like the many constituents who have contacted me, I am perplexed not so much by the complaint but that the Tasmanian discrimination commissioner did not dismiss it as merely vexatious.

The notion that a leader of an organisation can express the views of that organisation—views that it has held for more than 2,000 years, views that are in accordance with Australian law—has left many to wonder what has happened in

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