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Last week’s same-sex reforms have been the result of years of hard work by dozens of activists, some inside parliament and some out. Among them was former Democrats Senator and gay rights campaigner, Brian Greig.
When news came through of the sweeping reforms to Federal laws for same-sex couples, my mind turned to that cold night in Melbourne in 1994, when I met Greg Browne for pizza and coffee in Brunswick Street.
Along with Rodney Croome and a handful of other GLBT activists from around Australia, it probably represents the beginning of any co-ordinated national campaigning. Greg was founder of ‘Homo Defactos’, a short-lived but important vehicle to tackle discrimination in superannuation.
Until then, most campaigners were understandably focused on State issues. Not long after this, former Democrat Senator Sid Spindler introduced his ‘Sexuality Anti-Discrimination Bill’, triggering a nationwide Senate inquiry and carrying the message of equality into Federal parliament for the first time.
As a senator between 1999 and 2005, I was able to pursue these issues, push the debate, move amendments and highlight discrimination. This was complimented by similar actions from other Democrat and Greens Senators, while in the House of Representatives, Anthony Albanese and Tanya Plibersek made some modest efforts with Private Members Bills.
More importantly, activists in the cities, suburbs and regions were quietly chipping away. Stuart O’Brien and Dr Michael Seah tackled the military.
Edward Young took his case on war pensions to the United Nations. John Challis became the friendly, senior face of CommSuper. Kelly Pilgrim-Bryne highlighted Medicare inequity through public advocacy, while Jason McCheyne and Adrian Tuazon first tested the boundaries on marriage.
These people were not alone. It has taken dozens of unassuming, persistent and largely unacknowledged activists, some inside parliament and some out, some in political parties and some not, to create the conditions for reform.
Of course, Labor’s reforms are not comprehensive or complete. Marriage remains outstanding and the Federal Attorney-General’s defence of this discrimination gets weaker and more absurd with each passing media interview.
It’s still the elephant in the room that neither Kevin Rudd nor Brendon Nelson want to talk about. Never mind, the activists and campaigners aren’t going away. Luke Gahan, Dr Keryn Phelps, Damian Douglas-Meyer and Peter Furness personify the next wave of the equality movement. Again, they won’t be alone.
The current reforms are no surprise to me. They had to happen. They were long overdue. The surprise has been in the rush of public support for equal marriage and a deeply cynical media finally (finally!), asking the hard questions of Labor on this particular discrimination. This bodes well for future change.
In the mean time, Federal Attorney-General McClelland has called on the States to enact relationship registries for a “nationally consistent” scheme of partnerships laws. Most however will not, so Federal Labor is left standing there, failing to show leadership on national partnership laws while at the same time banning marriage and refusing to countenance civil unions, despite these being the obvious solutions to consistent, national reform.
Labor can’t have it both ways. Equality means full equality and a national system of partnership laws must be driven by the Commonwealth. We are almost there. Bring on the activists.
Brian Greig is a former Democrats Senator (1999-2005) and has been a long-time gay rights advocate.
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