PM - Wednesday, 7 June , 2006 18:27:37
Reporter: Simon Lauder
MARK COLVIN: It's not just the Labor Government of the ACT that's upset at the Prime Minister's decision to quash new laws in the Australian Capital Territory allowing homosexual civil unions.
It's not the issue itself but the challenge to the autonomy of the territory that worries the ACT Liberal Senator, Gary Humphries.
He's been meeting the Federal Attorney-General Philip Ruddock this afternoon to discuss the issue.
Meanwhile, the Queensland Liberal MP Warren Entsch, is pushing ahead with his plan for a private member's bill to amend federal legislation, which he says discriminates against same sex couples.
Mr Entsch spoke to Simon Lauder.
WARREN ENTSCH: Centrelink, Veterans' Affairs, Social Security, superannuation, they are quite gender specific, and it excludes people in same sex and interdependent relationships. And I believe that it is a level of legal discrimination that is totally unacceptable.
SIMON LAUDER: How much support is there among your Coalition colleagues for removing that discrimination.
WARREN ENTSCH: I have to say that there's quite a lot of support there. I mean initially when I raised this issue, I got very much a mixed reaction. There's certainly a growing awareness, a much stronger indication of support from many of my colleagues.
SIMON LAUDER: The ACT's Civil Unions Act effectively achieves for Territorians, what your private member's bill aims to.
How do you feel about the Prime Minister's determination to use Commonwealth powers to wipe it off the statute books?
WARREN ENTSCH: Well first of all, your assumption is wrong. Even if the ACT Civil Union Legislation went through, that discrimination would continue in federal laws.
SIMON LAUDER: Nonetheless, it's about removing discrimination.
WARREN ENTSCH: Yeah, it is about… the ACT stuff is about recognising same sex relationships.
I mean I applaud the ACT for moving ahead and doing this and I'm hoping that other states will follow. However, they were very much aware, that they could not draw comparisons to marriage in their bill, that it would be unacceptable. As a consequence we're in this situation.
I'm hoping that commonsense will prevail. I'm hoping that the ACT will go back and have a look at this and deal with any of these areas where there is a concern, so that they can eventually introduce it.
I think it would be wrong to argue that the Federal Government is in fact a homophobic Government, in that there was not an issue with the legislation that came through in Tasmania. And that's been through now for a couple of years and there was no issue.
SIMON LAUDER: So what changes does the ACT Government need to make to allow its through?
WARREN ENTSCH: Well look all I can say without being totally specific is that any references or comparisons to marriage, need to be removed. I hope that they can find clear water, if you like, to resolve this issue and I hope that in South Australia and Victoria, who are also contemplating similar legislation, that they would move reasonably quickly to put theirs up.
In the meantime, I'm going to continue to pursue my private member's bill in relation to equity.
SIMON LAUDER: You expressed reservations when the Marriage Amendment Bill was passed, making marriage only possible as a heterosexual entity. Wouldn't it be easier just to back the push for gay marriage?
WARREN ENTSCH: No, look, I mean, I did express reservations, not because I wanted to seek changes. My concerns were primarily because they were reconfirming the status quo, and I just felt that it was unnecessarily putting the spotlight on gay relationships, and in doing so, may draw on those homophobic individuals that tend to get out there and victimise and brutalise individuals in same sex relationships.
That was the reason that I expressed concerns. We're now moving on to other areas.
SIMON LAUDER: So to preserve your main aim I take it you're drawing the debate away from sexuality and more towards those inequities.
WARREN ENTSCH: You'd have to take it away from sexuality because I mean, irrespective of what the gender balance in any relationship, I can assure you that after five or 10 years in that relationship, sex tends to take a back seat. And there's a whole lot of other emotions that come forward.
And all of those emotions, or the majority of them, relate to interdependency. So I think it's important that we bring interdependency into this debate and work our way through it.
SIMON LAUDER: Why are you so determined to act on this? Have you been influenced by friends and relatives in the gay community?
WARREN ENTSCH: Not relatives, but certainly influenced by friends. And I've also seen it first hand, and I've seen the consequences of this discrimination.
SIMON LAUDER: The Liberal Member for the federal seat of Leichhardt, Warren Entsch, ending that interview with Simon Lauder.