Coalition Members Break Party Ranks Over Proposed Racial Discrimination Changes
Monday 28 April 2014 @ 12.17 p.m. | Legal Research
The newly elected Liberal Premier for NSW, Mike Baird, is the latest senior figure to publicly state his opposition to the Commonwealth Government’s proposal to change racial discrimination laws. In urging his federal colleagues to ditch the proposal, Mr Baird is following in the footsteps of the former premier Barry O’Farrell, who spoke out against the proposal before his surprise resignation.
Premier Mike Baird told Sky News that:
“from my point of view, if it’s not broken, don’t fix and there does seem to be broad concern across the community about some of these changes… [m]y urging to the federal Attorney-General is to take on some of those community concerns. … I will be making my comments clear”.
As previously reported on TimeBase (see The Right to Express Bigotry: Red Light or Green), the proposed changes to section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth) have been extremely controversial. The Commonwealth Attorney General George Brandis’ comments that people should have the right to be bigoted have been widely publicised, and the changes have already faced public opposition from within the Liberals’ own ranks, including by indigenous MP Ken Wyatt.
The Sydney Morning Herald has also reported that an alternative proposal is being drafted by ‘a rebel group of backbenchers intent on overturning the controversial law changes’. It is purportedly being drafted by David Coleman, currently the member for the NSW electorate of Banks. According to the report, the proposal has garnered support from Coalition members ‘including NSW MPs John Alexander, Nickolas Varvaris and Craig Kelly, Victorian MPs Sarah Henderson and Sharman Stone, and Queensland MP Teresa Gambaro.’
Public submissions on the proposed amendments will close on Tuesday. Further details are available here.
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