[Bricktop]

Federal Opposition Leader Mark Latham is reportedly chasing the gay vote, promising gay and lesbian couples the same rights and financial status as heterosexual couples if elected to government.

He would also introduce a voluntary system to allow same-sex couples to gain full access to the medical, superannuation, carer and parental entitlements of heterosexual couples, according to the Sunday Herald Sun.

Labor also wants federal laws to ban anti-homosexual discrimination across areas including taxation, immigration, family law, industrial relations and government benefits, the paper said.

And it will toughen federal anti-discrimination laws to protect same-sex couples from vilification and harassment.

The Victorian Council for Civil Liberties and leading gay activists have told the paper the ALP policy was "the strongest commitment to human rights for gay men and lesbians by any major political party".

Former shadow attorney-general Robert McClelland, was quoted as saying federal Labor was closely considering Tasmania's new Relationship Act, which recognises a range of significant relationships including homosexuals.

He said federal Labor's proposals would also protect same sex couples financially if their partner died or their relationship broke up.

However gay marriages had been "ruled out" for an incoming Labor government, he said.

What are people's views on this? Im personally a little mixed on the subject and will give my opinion after a few others have..

Drummond

[Demoncracy]

i'm mixed aswell but i would say NO

[Bricktop]

I pretty much agree with the ALP's agenda on this. I believe Gay and Lesbian couples should have the same rights and availabilities as Straight couples but i do not believe marriage should be legal, because marriage is a religious institution, and should be respected. Civil unions with the same rights that come from marriages would be fine with me though. I just believe each church should rule on who should be married within their own places of worship and so forth.

Drummond

[Efrem Da King]

Well I don't see whats wrong with a "state union", they can't be married under religion as they aren't allowed. I don't care what they call it.

[Maxim Litvinov]

Latham's comments come in sharp relief to another player on the Federal political scene (not mentioning any names), who proclaimed that all couples who "can't have children" are somehow unnatural and should be discouraged...

[Efrem Da King]

OH howard?


What can I say I find I disagree with him on most domestic issues but international issues are what makes him the best prime minster in australias history. Or at least living memory.


Not that my living memory is particulartly long but he still rox!

[Maxim Litvinov]

So, I'd guess that means you can't remember before 1996 then, Efrem ?

Which probably figures.

[Efrem Da King]

Oh I remmeber keating and the guy before him. Keating I remember well. And I'm into history so I know the lifes of various famous aussie primeministers.

[Bricktop]

And the 'guy before him' ? What was his name Efrem, if you can remember him??..

Keating did well on some international scenes, like calling Dr Mahatir of Malaysia a recalcitrant (find a dictionary Efrem) but he also did some poor things, like declaring Australia was part of Asia, and Hawke was a bastard for floating our dollar (in consumers minds - not in industries minds)

Drummond

[joe]

Drummond, since your so interested in the PM's of Australia - heres the list

Sir Edmund Barton, PC, GCMG, KC
(Protectionist Party)
1 January 1901 - 24 September 1903
(2 years, 8 months, 24 days)

Alfred Deakin
(Protectionist Party)
24 September 1903 - 27 April 1904
(7 months, 4 days)

John Christian Watson
(Australian Labor Party)
27 April 1904 - 17 August 1904
(3 months, 21 days)

George Houstoun Reid (later Sir George), PC, KC
(Free Trade)
18 August 1904 - 5 July 1905
(10 months, 18 days)

Alfred Deakin
(Protectionist Party)
5 July 1905 - 13 November 1908
(3 years, 4 months, 9 days)

Andrew Fisher
(Australian Labor Party)
13 November 1908 - 2 June 1909
(6 months, 21 days)

Alfred Deakin
(Protectionist Party)
2 June 1909 - 29 April 1910
(10 months, 28 days)

Andrew Fisher
(Australian Labor Party)
29 April 1910 - 24 June 1913
(3 years, 1 month, 26 days)

Joseph Cook (later Sir Joseph)
(Liberal Party of Australia)
24 June 1913 - 17 September 1914
(1 year, 2 months, 25 days)

Andrew Fisher
(Australian Labor Party)
17 September 1914 - 27 October 1915
(1 year, 1 month, 11 days)

William Morris Hughes
(Australian Labor Party; Nationalist Party from 1917)
27 October 1915 - 9 February 1923
(7 years, 3 months, 14 days)

Stanley Melbourne Bruce, PC, CH, MC
(Nationalist Party)
9 February 1923 - 22 October 1929
(6 years, 8 months, 14 days)

James Henry Scullin, PC
(Australian Labor Party)
22 October 1929 - 6 January 1932
(2 years, 2 months, 16 days)

Joseph Aloysius Lyons, PC, CH
(United Australia Party)
6 January 1932 - 7 April 1939
(7 years, 3 months, 2 days)

Sir Earle Christmas Grafton Page, PC, GCMG
(Australian Country Party)
7 April 1939 - 26 April 1939
(20 days)

Robert Gordon Menzies, PC, KC
(United Australia Party)
26 April 1939 - 29 August 1941
(2 years, 4 months, 4 days)

Arthur William Fadden (later Sir Arthur)
(Country Party)
29 August 1941 - 7 October 1941
(1 month, 9 days)

John Curtin, PC
(Australian Labor Party)
7 October 1941 - 5 July 1945
(3 years, 8 months, 29 days)

Francis Michael Forde, PC
(Australian Labor Party)
6 July 1945 - 13 July 1945
(8 days)

Joseph Benedict Chifley, PC
(Australian Labor Party)
13 July 1945 - 19 December 1949
(4 years, 5 months, 7 days)

Robert Gordon Menzies (later Sir Robert), PC, KC
(Liberal Party of Australia)
19 December 1949 - 26 January 1966
(16 years, 1 month, 8 days)

Harold Edward Holt, PC, CH
(Liberal Party of Australia)
26 January 1966 - 19 December 1967
(1 year, 10 months, 23 days)

John McEwen (later Sir John), PC
(Country Party)
19 December 1967 - 10 January 1968
(23 days)

John Grey Gorton, PC
(Liberal Party of Australia)
10 January 1968 - 10 March 1971
(3 years, 2 months)

William McMahon (later Sir William), PC, CH
(Liberal Party of Australia)
10 March 1971 - 5 December 1972
(1 year, 8 months, 25 days)

Edward Gough Whitlam, QC
(Australian Labor Party)
5 December 1972 - 11 November 1975
(2 years, 11 months, 7 days)

John Malcolm Fraser, PC, CH
(Liberal Party of Australia)
11 November 1975 - 11 March 1983
(7 years, 4 months)

Robert James Lee Hawke, AC
(Australian Labor Party)
11 March 1983 - 20 December 1991
(8 years, 9 months, 10 days)

Paul John Keating
(Australian Labor Party)
20 December 1991 - 11 March 1996
(4 years, 2 months, 20 days)

John Winston Howard
(Liberal Party of Australia)
11 March 1996 -

Enjoy.

[Ocker]

I agree with the anti-discrimination, but I don't think gay couples should be able to marry, or more importantly adopt children.

[Bricktop]

And the 'guy before him' ? What was his name Efrem, if you can remember him??..

Sorry Joe, i was simply pionting out a stupid comment by Efram here. He said he remembered the 'guy before him' (guy before Keating) but didnt even name him, showing he didnt remember him at all.

Drummond

[Misinformed]

I agree with the anti-discrimination, but I don't think gay couples should be able to marry, or more importantly adopt children.

yes i too agree with this, because maridge is the joining of a man and WOMAN for the sole purpose to have children. and if gays adopted how would that child be bought up? would it think straight people are bad and start a campaign against them because the child was bought up beliveing gay was right?

[smithbrian86]

Financially homosexuals in some sort of declared union should be treated the same as heterosexual couples. I also think they should be allowed to adopt children if they meet criteria which would be beneficial to the child. I don't accept the argument that I hear alot about children being discriminated against if they same sex parents so we should not allow it. The more common the occurence of this, the more accepted it will be become. I fully believe a same sex couple should be allowed to adopt children, however they should face the same scrutiny as heterosexual couples.

Nuff said
Brian Smith

[Maxim Litvinov]

smithbrian86's post seems very reasonable to me.

I don't see the *natural* debate as being particularly persuasive. Do we condemn people typing on computers because it's *unnatural*? There are plenty of single parent families with just dads, or just mums, there are plenty of grandparents and aunts and uncles bringing up children. There are plenty of couples who can't *naturally* have children bringing up children.

The test should not rely upon creating arbitrary distinctions about *what's natural* and *what isn't*. But it should be about allowing any family group which wants children, and can demonstrate that it can provide them a *good* or *better* life, to be able to adopt.

[redcarpet]

It's taken a long time for the ALP to atlast reverse it's position of opposing gay/bisexual discrimination.

I hope they do adopt the policies.

Equality begins now, not later.