Queensland passes civil unions bill
Updated December 01, 2011 07:45
'Blow against prejudice' - Anna Bligh addresses a gay rights rally
before the vote (AAP: Toby Mann)
The Queensland Parliament has joined Victoria, Tasmania and the ACT in passing legislation recognising same-sex civil partnerships.
As expected, the Opposition voted against the bill as did most independent MPs.
Labor MPs were allowed a conscience vote and four voted against the legislation, but the final result was not as close as expected with a margin of 47 votes to 40.
Inside Parliament, Premier Anna Bligh reflected the views of a majority of her party.
"The bill that is before the Parliament is a bill that seeks to strike a blow against prejudice and strike a blow against discrimination," she said.
Health Minister Geoff Wilson, who initially said he would support the bill, was one of the Labor MPs who voted against the bill.
"The more I have thought about it, about what I personally believe according to my faith, unfortunately I can't support the bill," he said.
Another Labor MP, Michael Choi, was the first to tell Parliament he would not support the legislation.
"This is by far the hardest legislation for the last 10 years I've had to work on," he said.
"I struggled and have argued with myself over and over, but at the end I could not support this bill.
"My conscience does not allow me to go further. I wanted to but I could not."
Mr Choi also thanked Ms Bligh for allowing MPs to make up their own minds.
Full Story: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-12-01/queensland-parliament-passes-same-sex-bill/3705444
Congratulations, QLD ! The spotlight on bigotry just got considerably brighter. Well done.
Perhaps Health Minister Geoff Wilson and those other community representatives that voted similarly, need to consider that their government positions aren't pulpits, and the work they do in those positions is not an acceptable opportunity for them to legislate their personal beliefs onto others. Politicians need to represent all of their constituents, not just the majority of them, and so should act accordingly.
