03/25/2002 "WA SENATOR PRESSES GAY DISCRIMINATION BILL"

WA SENATOR PRESSES GAY DISCRIMINATION BILL
The West Australian

WA Senator Brian Greig will bring forward a Bill on sexuality discrimination against gays.

The Australian Democrats justice spokesman said in Parliament that Australia was one of the few countries not to have national anti-discrimination laws to protect gay and lesbian people.

"Why does the Government prevent moves by the Australian Democrats to progress the sexuality discrimination Bill to address this and which has been on the notice paper since 1995?" he said.

Government Senate leader Robert Hill said Australian laws were not intended to discriminate against homosexuals. He said anti-discrimination laws had been implemented at a State level because that was where discrimination occurred.

"Basically we don't seek to be discriminatory in our legislation as we approach the legislative task," he said.

Senator Hill supported a claim by Prime Minister John Howard last week that the Government was not homophobic.

"We do not seek to be discriminatory, particularly on the ground of sex and that is our driving influence in this particular matter," he said.

He was responding to a request from Senator Greig for him to justify Mr Howard's comment, which was made in relation to Senator Bill Heffernan's attack on the openly gay Justice Michael Kirby.

After question time, Senator Greig said he would bring on the Democrats' sexuality discrimination Bill.

Labor supported symbolic reform on gay and lesbian discrimination, but was yet to support legislative reform, he said.