Civil unions in Qld: Jan Stuckey
the Commonwealth Games, Jan Stuckey told the Queensland Parliament about the proposal to change Queensland’s civil union laws:
The timing of the introduction of the Civil Partnerships Bill late last year, when the Bligh Labor government was in its death throes, was manipulative and callous.
The opportunism of the former Treasurer knew no bounds. The introduction of his private
member’s bill—not the domain of a minister of the Crown—was nothing more than a cheap political
stunt in a desperate attempt to win votes rather than being about good policy. It was Machiavellian, a
cruel trick to play, using the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual community like a political football,
geeing them up for blatant political gain. This kind of sneaky, slippery, devious behaviour was the norm
of the previous government. They would have you think they had ownership—a monopoly, if you like—on the issues related to the gay community. They are wrong. Many of us on the government benches have dearly loved family members and close friends who are not heterosexual. As the honourable member for Southern Downs has said, there are diverging views amongst the gay community on this topic as well.
As the Attorney mentioned when speaking to the bill late last year, it was designed as a
distraction from the critical issues facing our state due to Labor’s incompetent governance over the last
two decades. In discussions that the LNP had with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual
community at the time, we found that the major issues facing them, strangely enough, were the same as
those facing all Queenslanders and those in my electorate of Currumbin. They were rising cost-of-living
pressures, access to good public health facilities, getting our economy back on track, job opportunities
and job security. Might I add that not one constituent has contacted my office in Currumbin in relation to
this debate, and I have a very, very engaged electorate.
