LNP accused of ‘outrageous betrayal' after halting implementation of anti-discrimination law reform
The Queensland government is facing criticism after announcing an indefinite delay to the implementation of anti-discrimination law reforms designed to protect victims of domestic violence, homeless people, women at work and others.
The state attorney general, Deb Frecklington, told parliament on Friday she would introduce legislation to delay implementation of the Respect at Work and Other Matters Amendment Act 2024.
The Act is the most substantial reform to the state's anti-discrimination laws since they were passed in 1991. Among other things, it establishes a positive duty on employers to prevent discrimination in their workplace and creates additional protected classes, including homeless people and those with an irrelevant criminal record.
It was developed after a three-and-a-half year consultation process conducted by Queensland's Human Rights Commission, sparked by a scandal at Brisbane's Citipointe Christian College, which required families to sign a statement declaring 'homosexual acts' are immoral.
The commission published a draft bill in February last year. Labor subsequently put only the least controversial parts of the legislation to parliament, which passed into law in September; all LNP MPs voted against it.
Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email
Frecklington said the planned 1 July commencement date does not allow sufficient time for consultation. She said the legislation could create 'unnecessary burden on organisations and institutions' and protections for people with an irrelevant criminal record might complicate 'decisions relating to weapons licensing, police protection notices and security provider licensing'.
Queensland's human rights commissioner, Scott McDougall, said he was 'bewildered' by the announcement and the attorney general's concerns had never been raised with him.
Aside from the review by the commission, he said the laws had been backed by inquiries by the Australian Human Rights Commission, the Queensland sentencing advisory council and two prior inquiries by the parliamentary legal affairs and safety committee.
'To pause the implementation of all these changes due to a concern about one aspect of the reforms, with no notice and no concerns previously having been raised with us, is a disproportionate response,' he said.
'To claim the reforms were rushed and not consultative enough is additionally misleading.'
The general secretary of the Queensland Council of Unions, Jacqueline King, said the decision was 'an outrageous betrayal of Queensland workers'.
'We don't need any more consultation. We have been consulted to death over important reforms in this space on sexual harassment. We just need to get on and act the legislation and do it,' she said.
Sign up to Morning Mail
Our Australian morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters
after newsletter promotion
Matilda Alexander from the Queensland Independent Disability Advocacy Network said Queenslanders with a disability had been waiting 'too long' for changes to discrimination and hate speech laws.
'For the first time, hate speech would have been unlawful on the basis of disability. For the first time victims of crime and domestic violence would have been protected from discrimination,' she said.
'Justice delayed is justice denied. This delay will mean people with disability will continue to experience unfair discrimination, hate speech, abuse and harm.'
Equality Australia's CEO, Anna Brown, said the 'uncontroversial changes' had already been through a 'full and comprehensive consultation process that took many years and reopening it is a waste of time and taxpayer money'.
'Delaying these laws without any real justification is alarming given they offer strengthened protections for so many communities, including LGBTIQ+ people, the homeless and survivors of domestic violence,' she said.
'Serious questions need to be asked about who is pressuring the government to pause these commonsense changes that simply modernise Queensland's anti-discrimination laws.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
WA senator Dorinda Cox accuses Greens of being ‘deeply racist' and says ‘I am not a bully'
The former Greens senator Dorinda Cox has accused the Greens of being 'deeply racist' and insisted that she has never been a bully. Cox, a Noongar Yamatji woman and Western Australian senator, announced last Monday she had defected to Labor, saying her views were more closely aligned with Labor than the Greens. In a resignation letter sent to Greens leader Larissa Waters' office on Tuesday night, Cox claimed the party had 'cultural problems they refuse to acknowledge or address' and that she had experienced an 'unremitting campaign of bullying and dishonest claims'. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email 'I have seen and survived trauma, discrimination and harassment in previous work environments. I have seen the impact of psycho social violence on my family and my community. I am not, and have never been, a bully. I do not perpetrate it,' she said. Cox has been the subject of a number of workplace behaviour complaints, as first reported by the Nine newspapers last October. At the time, the WA senator apologised for 'the distress this may have caused' but said there had been 'significant missing context' in the reports of bullying allegations within her office. Cox said in her letter that at the time she resigned, there were no grievances pending against her in the party's conflict resolution process, and none had been put to her during the period she was a senator. 'The Greens failed me as its last First Nations MP, and continue to fail First Nations people,' Cox wrote. 'In my experience, the Greens tolerate a culture that permits violence against First Nations women within its structures. In this respect, the party is deeply racist. 'Instead of dealing with its toxic culture, the Greens sought to shut me down. The Greens failed in their duty of care for my staff and me, and disregarded the reported and obvious impact of what was occurring.' Cox accused the federal and Western Australian Greens' leadership for embracing 'untrue' claims and amplifying them. The WA Greens announced an external inquiry into grievances it received against Cox in mid-January by former staff members within the party after the allegations were publicly reported. The inquiry has now ceased. The WA Greens said 'the co-convenors of Greens (WA) went to great lengths to ensure the process was culturally safe and delivered due process to all parties'. An Australian Greens spokesperson said the claims were 'disappointing' and ignored the 'substantive work undertaken by the party to find a resolution to the complaints made both by and against Senator Cox, and to address the breakdown in her relationship with Greens' First Nations members'. 'As the IPSC [Independent Parliamentary Standards Committee] and PWSS [Parliamentary Workplace Support Service] are the bodies created by Parliament to address complaints from staff, they can continue to investigate ongoing matters. This is unchanged by the senator's decision to move to a party that continues to destroy First Nations cultural history through approving coal and gas projects.' Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Anthony Albanese was asked about historical bullying complaints against Cox last Monday. The prime minister said Labor had 'examined everything that had been considered in the past' and felt that the 'issues were dealt with appropriately'. In October 2024, Cox said she took responsibility for 'any shortcomings' in her office and apologised for any distress that may have been caused but said there had been 'significant missing context' in the reports of bullying allegations within her office. Cox said she had an 'immense amount of respect and gratitude to my team who prepare and support me for the work I undertake' and that she had 'always taken a proactive approach to staff wellbeing, including my own' and had undertaken executive coaching and mentoring from former MPs. Cox's former colleague, Lidia Thorpe, revealed last week she was one of the people to complain to the parliamentary watchdog about Cox, disputing Albanese's claim that allegations about Cox had been 'dealt with'. Thorpe, a former Greens senator who is now independent, said she raised a complaint against Cox in late 2022 to the Greens' leader's office and PWSS. Thorpe formally submitted the complaint to the PWSS in March 2023. Thorpe said on Wednesday her case remained unresolved because Cox declined to attend a mediation. Thorpe, a Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Djab Wurrung senator, told ABC on Wednesday morning she had also experienced racism in the Greens. 'There's a lot of work that the Greens and many other organisations need to do to stamp [racism] out, particularly the parliament of this country,' she said.
Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Terrifying moment Brit photographer films himself being shot in HEAD with rubber bullet during LA immigration riots
THIS is the terrifying moment a British veteran photographer is shot in the head during the frenzied protests in Los Angeles. Dad-of-two Toby Canham was left with a severe head wound after he was fired at by a Californian police officer with a rubber bullet. 6 Veteran photographer Toby Canham has shared a nasty injury he suffered during the frenzied protests in Los Angeles Credit: The Mega Agency 6 The moment a California Highway Patrol officer fired at the dad-of-two Credit: The Mega Agency 6 Canham was seen being treated at the scene on Sunday night Credit: The Mega Agency Canham, 59, was standing just off the 101 Freeway in downtown LA reporting from a tense standoff between cops and protesters on Sunday. The police were stationed beneath the bridge at a low level and just 100 yards away from Canham and his camera. The photographer, who has previously served in the British Army, was on assignment for the New York Post at the time. Hundreds of rioters had gathered above the highway during the protests - prompting journalists to closely watch the chaos. But an unlucky Canham was caught by a bullet fired from a California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer. Footage captured by the veteran showed the cop suddenly position himself behind a pack of fellow officers behind a pillar. Moments later he opened fire towards the top of the freeway. It is unclear what prompted the stray bullet. Canham was savagely hit directly in the forehead and quickly collapsed to the ground. He could be heard screaming in agony: "F***, f***, I just got shot in the head!". The Sun's Katy Forrester Reporting Live from Los Angeles The journalist was helped back to his feet by horrified onlookers who quickly noticed a big red mark appearing. Pictures show Canham being treated at the scene with a noticeable gash in the middle of his head from the powerful rubber bullet. He was taken to hospital late on Sunday and spent most of Monday being treated for whiplash and neck pain. Canham said after the ordeal: "When I got whacked, to my best recollection it was just me filming with my cameras on and then I got shot. "Where I was hit, I was the only person overlooking the freeway. I wasn't surrounded so I was an easy target." Canham also recalled just minutes before being hit, a flashbang exploded a mere few feet away from him. It left him with two rips in his trousers from flying shrapnel. A protester nearby reportedly launched a water bottle at authorities in retaliation. On the same day, a TV journalist was shot live on air as she reported on the violent immigration riots in downtown LA. Australian reporter Lauren Tomasi was covering the protests for Nine News when she was hit at close range by a rubber bullet. The ordeal caused her to collapse in agony mid-broadcast. Elsewhere, a British photojournalist was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery when a 'sponge bullet' tore through his thigh during the same night of carnage. Nick Stern, 60, from Hertford, said he had made himself clearly visible as a member of the press when he was shot while photographing a standoff between protesters and riot cops. LA's streets have turned into a warzone since Friday as heavily armed riot cops used tear gas and rubber bullets to stop incoming rioters. Sunday night saw the worst of the protests with police being forced to defend the city as people set cars on fire and looted shops. The chaos has continued for five days with California now announcing a curfew for downtown LA between 8pm and 6am. The anti-ICE and anti-Donald Trump demonstrations have spread to New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and other major cities since. 6 Canham taken to hospital late on Sunday and spent most of Monday being treated for whiplash and neck pain Credit: The Mega Agency 6 TV journalist Lauren Tomasi was reporting live from the streets of LA amid the violent protests in the city when she was shot by cops
The Herald Scotland
6 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Spirit of Tasmania ferry scandal threatens to sink government
For six months, the Tasmanian Government has wrestled with its decision spend £450m on two new ferries to link it with Australia, despite not having ports large enough to accommodate them. In a startling mirror-image of Scotland's own ferry fiasco, costs to build the both the dual-fuel ferries and their berths have ballooned since the plan was laid down – and now the ports are not expected to be ready till next year at the earliest. Since December, one of the ferries – Spirit of Tasmania IV – has languished at the Port of Leith in Edinburgh, at a cost of £22,000 per week to the Tasmanian taxpayer. And this week the bill came due for the state's Liberal premier Jeremy Rockliff, who faced the collapse of his 'rainbow coalition' and lost a no confidence vote, with the ferries one of several reasons he had lost the faith of parliament. In October, the scandal cost the frontbench position of the government's Treasurer and Deputy Premier Tasmanian Liberal Michael Ferguson. Tasmania's ferry fiasco is not too dissimilar to Scotland's woes (Image: Jane Barlow) Now the state stands poised to head to the polls if a new deal cannot be worked out and a replacement for Mr Rockcliff be found. Meanwhile, it has emerged that the Spirit of Tasmania in Scotland isn't going anywhere soon. While Spirit IV was docked at Leith, its state-owned operator, TT-Line, searched for an someone to lease it until the port was completed in Tasmania. But negotiations collapsed in early March. The state government told TT-Line to bring Spirit IV back to Tasmania and it was due to depart on 26 May, before being delayed by poor weather. During that time, engineers found technical problems with the ship's liquefied natural gas systems. 'The government is awaiting further details in relation to a new expected departure date, but it is understood that this work will take some time,' the state's transport minister, Eric Abetz, said last week. READ MORE: Huge fiasco ship mothballed in Scotland at a cost of £23k a week 'Farcical': Newly-built ferry to be mothballed in Edinburgh 'for two years' When questioned about the delays in parliament, Abetz accused the Labor opposition of 'talking [the ferry] down all the time'. 'I say thank goodness for the weather, because she might have been well into the deep oceans and then suffer a mechanical issue, the full extent of which I am not appraised of,' Abetz said. 'We want to make sure the ship is safe and, even more importantly, the crew is safe. We will do whatever is necessary to ensure the protection of the crew.' However, the ship has become something of a tourist attraction in Edinburgh, despite its status as a national embarrassment Down Under. Ian Stirling, who founded a whisky distillery right next to where the Spirit of Tasmania is docked, told the Guardian his long-term nautical neighbour has delivered patrons, with a side of political drama.
