Bridget Archer (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'd like to put on the record tonight that I consider myself a Christian woman. Why do I point this out? Well, less the Australian Christian Lobby once again try to betray me as a godless heathen for holding them to account for their continued insistence on treating the LGBTIQA+ community as something other. May I also point out that, regardless of my religious beliefs, their actions are abhorrent.

In the local paper on the weekend I read with interest—well, disdain really—and ad taken out by the Australian Christian Lobby attacking the Tasmanian Liberal government for their proposed legislation to ban damaging conversion practices. The ad campaign is a loud and clear direct threat to my state Liberal Party colleagues for taking the step towards ending a practice that is dangerous, harmful and remains an ongoing problem in some communities. Having been on the receiving end of a campaign by the ACL during the recent federal election, I'm certain that speaking up again today will put me directly in their line of fire. But, like my good friend and Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff, I won't be intimidated.

Their campaign dares to presume to speak for Liberals and their values, but as a Liberal in Bass I can say they certainly do not speak for us. In fact, during the election and even during the debate on the religious discrimination bill, I had many, many members of the Christian community reach out to me to express their disappointment in the conduct of the ACL and the fact that their approach on many issues is the very antithesis of Christian values, which put love and care for others at the centre. As Glen Worrall, who experienced conversion practices for 21 years in New South Wales and Tasmania and has firsthand experience of the psychological and spiritual damage conversion practice can cause, said, 'As a person of faith, I believe the Christian faith at its best is to do no harm, and these practices do harm.'

The ACL has seemingly tried to frame the issue as an attack on freedom of thought and speech, amongst other things, claiming this to be a contradiction of Liberal Party values. I think it's worthwhile to point out the following from our own 'we believe' statement:

WE BELIEVE THAT LIBERALISM MEANS FLEXIBILITY AND PROGRESS. Its principles and its spiritual and intellectual approach enable it to meet and deal with new and changing social and economic circumstances. By elevating the individual, it meets and defeats the terrible doctrine of the all-powerful State: a doctrine at once destructive, reactionary and negative.

The ACL must be called out on their blatant lie and scare tactics that misrepresent what the law is set out to do.

There is no call for a parent or guardian to face criminal charges over their thoughts and views over sexuality and gender identity. The proposed law instead seeks to bring charges if someone experiences a serious industry beyond reasonable doubt due to conversion practices. The reforms are based on a Tasmania Law Reform Institute report which outlined that parents and guardians have the right to express views on sexuality or gender identity issues to their children and to guide their moral and spiritual development.

I'd like to commend Premier Rockliff for his leadership on these and other matters affecting the LGBTIQ community. In my most recent conversation with him we were talking about the fact that the most important thing we can do as elected representatives—and as human beings—is to look after people, to care for people. To anyone who considers this care a woke issue, if loving and respecting other people and wishing for self-determination and autonomy and a right to live your life without fear of judgement, harassment or reprisal is woke, I'm here for it!

After witnessing the campaigns of the ACL over the last few years, whether it be marriage equality or protecting the rights of LGBTIQ students and teachers in school or on harmful and painful practices where inflicting deep shame is at the core, I have to think they are so very aware of the hurt that they cause in the community. They know they are causing harm, but they keep doing it. It is a deliberate choice over and over and over again and, quite frankly, not a very Christian one. At this stage the ACL is looking less like a lobby group and more like poorly disguised theocrats. I would urge the Australian Christian Lobby to begin looking at how they can move towards love and acceptance of all God's children.