Scenes from this evening’s rally before QLD Parliament House in support of Deputy Premier Andrew Fraser’s private members bill to create same-sex civil unions in Queensland.
Hi res: Rally for QLD Civil Unions bill 2011 (M4V Video 25Mb 2min)
Low res: Rally for QLD Civil Unions bill 2011 (MOV Video 4Mb 2min)
The bill is being debated in the Parliament from 7.30pm. The fact that the Premier was prepared to speak at the rally suggests confidence that the bill will pass the floor of the House. Debate is proceeding.
Speakers at the rally included the Premier Anna Bligh, Deputy Premier Andrew Fraser (the bill’s sponsor), Brisbane Central MP Grace Grace, (and here is where I need some QLD locals to crowdsource a few names for me in the comments…) a ZZZ Presenter, the convenor of PFLAG in QLD, and several others (sorry, this citizen journalist pleads leaving for the airport at 5.30am in defence of missing names!)
Well, I never thought I would ever say this…GO QUEENSLAND!!
It won’t happen. It’s the Deep North. It’s Queensland.
nice night
It got up: 47-40.
Very glad to see you’re wrong, Sam.
Sweet.
Other speakers were Blair Martin from Queer Radio on 4zzz , Shelley Argent from PFLAG and one of the men from the QAHC “Rip n Roll” bus shelter posters, his name I can’t recall.
There was no “anti” group present at parliament steps, just supporters.
Oh noes! What are all those married heterosexuals to do? How will their own relationships survive under such intolerable pressure?
Seriously,this is wonderful news. Roll on marriage equality at a federal level.
Kudos to those involved in getting this done. It’s a modest but nevertheless important step forward. It’s of use not merely to the LGBT community but to all who wish to register longstanding marriage-like relationships but don’t want to get married for one reason or another. Had this been available years ago in NSW, “Hubby” and I might have benefited from it.
Well, I never thought I’d see this – not in the land of Joh Bjelke Petersen. It’s so unfortunate that he’s dead and can’t see it himself.
But Queensland still has the most restrictive abortion laws in the nation, no? It’s still the Deep North.
OT, but speaking of Queensland, Artie Beetson has just died.
It is good to see Labor actually doing something that challenges the conservative norm. In Qld, the main reason for their dismal polling was their insistence on privatizing the railroads instead of increasing coal hauling rail charges.
Let us hope the National conference can show some signs of growing up on same sex marriage, gains some kudos for being progressive and go back to being a party of innovation instead of the party of being too afraid to take some risks.
It is good to see Labor actually doing something that challenges the conservative norm
It was a private member’s bill with a conscience vote. “Labor” had nothing to do with it.
Have to agree with Sam here. As my mother used to say “do the right thing because it’s the right thing. Not for credit or recognition.”
Great news though, first Queensland…when does this go national?
Hi, folks. Long-time lurker, first-time poster here. Full congratulations to everyone in Queensland who campaigned for this outcome. Hopefully the spirit of progress is similarly present in Sydney on Saturday for the ALP National Conference.
And Sam, I do feel that Queensland Labor deserves some credit. Allowing their MPs to vote their conscience (something which the LNP did not do) was what allowed the bill to pass. And 46 of the 47 members who voted for the bill were Labor. Has to count for something, surely.
Thanks, Merc!
It was great to be involved in promoting the rally, and great to see the Premier of Queensland addressing a large and diverse group of citizens in support of human rights and the dignity of all relationships. It would have been simply unimaginable in the days of Joh, when even the right to peacefully assemble was denied us.
… a private member’s bill introduced by the Deputy Premier, which the Premier supported, Sam.
Labor MPs had a conscience vote, the LNP voted against en bloc.
Only one of six Independents, Peter Wellington, voted for the Bill, and the other 45 votes in favour came from Labor MPs.
@8 – Rob, as I previously observed, the Bill also affords rights and recognition to opposite sex couples.
There’s more footage of Andrew Fraser and Anna Bligh speaking on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hK9HAIEnlG0&feature=share
Tommy and Mark, I’ll give the credit where it’s due, which is to Andrew Fraser and to the MPs who voted in favour.
As it happens, they were nearly all Labor MPs. What this tells me is that, on the whole, in general, and on average, MPs in a left of centre mainsteam political party are more likely to be socially progressive than those in a right of centre mainstream political party. (In a free vote a few LNP MPs would have voted in favour. They can’t all be the ghost of Russ Hinze – can they?)
However, I’m buggered if I know (no pun intended) how the Labor Party, institutionally, deserves any credit for this.
But, hey, I’m open minded (no pun intended). If the ALP National Conference comes out (no pun intended) with a half decent policy, I’ll congratulate them.
Sam, the legislation had been discussed in Cabinet and it would also have never come to the floor of Parliament without Labor caucus approval for it to do so given the ALP has a substantial majority in the Legislative Assembly.
At least one LNP MP indicated he wanted to vote for it. There are probably others, but not many. The Liberals in Queensland used to have a proud record on civil liberties, and former Deputy Premier Joan Sheldon and former Minister Denver Beanland crossed the floor in 1990 to vote for decriminalisation of homosexuality. But the Liberals of today appears to have been swallowed by the Nats, and the ‘liberal’ Liberals chewed up and spat out.
Some of the comments made by LNP MPs were disgraceful in anyone’s book, and as Bligh said, if pollies don’t want to take a stand on principle, they argue process. Many of the LNP MPs who entered Parliament in 2009 have a religious right agenda, and there are some (like Fiona Simpson) who have always had one.
Campbell Newman, who’s professed support for same sex marriage, was, as Andrew Fraser put it, a speed bump for the Nats truck to roll on over.
It’s also simply insulting for the LNP to claim this legislation is unimportant. Even if you granted that premise, total opposition to it does not logically follow.
Also, just a plug for a new Facebook page set up by me and some other fine folks to keep the momentum going for online campaigning for human rights issues in Queensland. If you’re a Queenslander concerned about human dignity, equality and justice, please ‘like’:
https://www.facebook.com/EquityCollective
It’s also simply insulting for the LNP to claim this legislation is unimportant.
This is how losers console themselves after a loss.
As Pink Floyd once said, it’s another brick in the wall. For all the existence of the Fiona Simpsons of the world, the Left has been remarkably successful in getting its social agenda implemented, with virtually no backsliding, notwithstanding the noisy protestations of the Christian Family Blah Blahs.
This process began in 1961 with the arrival of the contraceptive pill. It’s been one victory after another ever since. I think 50 years is long enough to establish a trend.
Mark, I was trying to (and perhaps failing) to parody the silly arguments made by opponents of marriage equality that allowing gays to marry somehow puts heterosexual marriage at risk.
Good on Queensland for going as far as it can under state law.
They also came out with “what about polygamy?”, and “next a man will lie down with a horse”, etc, Rob.
Sam, it’s what they’ve been saying since the Bill was introduced. It’s what they say about everything they don’t like. They’ve got their Abbott on.
http://larvatusprodeo.net/?s=civil+unions+lnp
Also, Rob, it was interesting, if you watch the video, that Anna Bligh pointed out that every MP who wanted to deny same sex couples the right to a recognised union themselves enjoyed that privilege. All married.
I think the ALP might pleasantly surprise a few progressives over the next six months or so.