MEDIA RELEASE
Monday, 16 August, 2010
Second Class Rights – Second Class Governance?
As Election Day 2010 draws near it is timely to point out which political parties have been silent on the issues of equality for all Australians. While many of the minor parties have been united in their stance for equal rights for all citizens of this great nation, it is obvious, by their complete lack of acknowledgement for such issues, that The ALP, The Coalition, and Family First have total disregard for the most repressed, most disadvantaged, most abused, most underprivileged, and most vulnerable in our society.
The Democrats’ Tasmanian Senate candidate, Tim Neal, is urging all voters to consider the implications of allowing three more years of discriminatory policies, “Nothing will change while Labor [The ALP] and the Libs [The Coalition] play musical chairs in Canberra. Both sides have gagged their representatives from responding to issues such as same-sex marriage, GLTBI rights, animal rights, native title, the homeless, asylum seekers, child protection, the list just goes on and on.”
Mr. Neal also held the spotlight firmly on Family First and its passé stance against same-sex couples, “Family First do not speak for average Australian families, as they claim to do. If they did they would speak for all types of families, which include same-sex couples. It’s embarrassing that, in this day and age, we [Australia] have a political party that has such archaic and prejudiced views.”
Public pressure can bring beneficial change, and Mr. Neal hopes there is no better pressure than through the ballot box, “Voting for the so called major parties, or so called Family First, will not bring about change to legislation for the betterment of those groups that are currently being discriminated against. ”
Mr. Neal hopes voters will see that there are options, positive options, to political parties that do not embrace equal rights legislation, “The Democrats will stick up for the rights of all Australians. We are a political party that cares. The Democrats hold the belief that everyone has the opportunity to exist in freedom and equality, and be protected from those that would harm such rights.”
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