Wednesday, 17 May 2023

Ministers statements: LGBTIQA+ equality

Steve DIMOPOULOS (Oakleigh – Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Minister for Creative Industries) (14:08): Victoria is a great place because of its diversity, and under the leadership of this government we have worked to ensure everyone feels like they have a place in Victoria and feels safe in Victoria. It is not just a basic foundation of leadership to want people to feel safe, it is also basic logic. If more people feel included, there are more people in work, at shows or reading in public libraries. As a government we are grateful to the LGBTI community for their contribution to our society, so we invest in these contributions and grow these opportunities. Our Pride Events and Festivals Fund supports 37 events across this state, including Midsumma and Melbourne’s Trans and Gender Diverse Film Festival.

In our government equality is celebrated, and that is part of what makes us the creative and cultural capital of the country. I am proud that, in contrast to those opposite, our party room reflects not just the views of the Victorian people but their diversity. Our difference is our difference. We have more than five times as many MPs with a non-European background. We have two openly gay ministers, which is about 10 per cent of the cabinet. We have proud members of the queer community in our party room and, crucially, over 50 per cent of our caucus and our cabinet are women.

If the Liberal Party is serious about representative democracy and if they want to be taken seriously, they do not need a vote in their party room, they need a mirror. It might help them see a pattern. In 2018, after campaigning on a racial gang crisis, in the aftermath we saw a neo-Nazi rally on St Kilda Beach. In 2021, after campaigning against health advice, we saw rallying extremists on the front steps of Parliament. And recently we saw the Leader of the Opposition green-lighting story time protests, which threatened the safety of councillors, children and families. If the Liberal Party want to know how to stop this pattern of association with extremist views and extremist groups, they do not need a vote in their party room, they need a mirror.