Tasmanian equality campaigner Rodney Croome 'overjoyed' at Burnie Council's LGBTIQA+ advisory group
Councillors voted 8 to 1 to develop the advisory group and develop an action plan to address discrimination.
Mr Croome — a prominent advocate for LGBTIQA+ people in Tasmania for over 30 years and a key voice during Tasmania's decriminalisation debates in the 1990s — said he was "overjoyed" by the result.
Photo shows
The rainbow pride flag flying above town hall and people gather below it.
Ulverstone, a town once the flashpoint for the debate on decriminalising homosexuality in Tasmania, raises the rainbow pride flag over its council chambers.
"As someone who's been involved in that 30-year journey for Tasmania, this is one of the most important milestones for me,"
Mr Croome said.
"It might seem like something small to others, that the council is simply convening a group and developing a document.
"But the council's support for greater inclusion sends a really strong message that the North West Coast and Tasmania in general have really turned a corner."
During the 1990s when there were anti-gay rallies in Burnie and in other parts of the state, Mr Croome said he hoped Tasmania could become a more inclusive and equal society, but it was hard to imagine at the time.
"I certainly wouldn't have imagined the Burnie City Council taking such proactive steps to foster inclusion for LGBTQIA-plus people,"
he said.
Rodney Croome pictured during his arrest in 1988 at Hobart's Salamanca Market for defying a ban on a stall featuring petitions to decriminalise homosexual activity.
(
Supplied: Roger Lovell
)
Deputy Mayor Giovanna Simpson tabled the motion and said she was overwhelmed by the "support and passion" of the people in the gallery.
"I'm just really happy that it's passed, and we can actually move forward with this and get something in place so that everyone feels safe and secure,"
Cr Simpson said.
'We were behind'
The new advisory group and action will follow the lead of other councils across Tasmania, who have taken similar steps to consult local LGBTIQA+ communities and develop action plans to fight discrimination, and improve inclusivity.
The adoption of action plans by other councils include the training of council staff in LGBTQIA+ related issues, and in developing more inclusive services for the community.
Deputy Mayor Giovanna Simpson tabled the motion.
(
ABC News: Lachlan Bennett
)
Cr Simpson said the existence of these action plans in other municipalities prompted her to ask why Burnie wasn't doing the same.
"We were behind, definitely … I don't want it to be that way anymore," she said.
While other councils in the state have implemented action plans, Burnie City Council is the first in the state's North West coast to do so, a fact that Mr Croome applauds.
"I've got no doubt that Burnie's leadership on this issue will encourage other municipalities particularly in the North West of Tasmania to do the same,"
he said.
While the motion had broad support from councillors, a single vote against the motion came from Cr Trent Aitken, who proposed an alternative motion deferring judgement on the group's establishment to the general public, via an elector's poll.
"I believe we need to be fair and just to all groups in the community. But the motion before us, asks us to take another step, and to put one group of people above another. I can not support that, as we should all be equal," Cr Aitken said.
Croome warns against complacency
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Mr Croome says he hopes overwhelming support for the motion will move Cr Aitken to reconsider his views.
"I hope it sends a message to counsellor Aitken that he really needs to sit back and think about his views and his expression of those, that he'll take the opportunity to go out and talk to LGBTQIA+ people living in Burnie and find out what their lives are really like," he said.
The council will now consult with members of the LGBTQIA+ community and their families, as well as service providers to develop the new action plan.
Despite the progress that Tasmania has made on LGBTQIA+ issues, Mr Croome said advocates for equality shouldn't become complacent in fighting discrimination and stigma.
"To have councils like the Burnie City Council sending such a strong message of inclusion helps us to address that continuing prejudice and discrimination,"
Mr Croome said.
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