Everyone outraged by ACL call to suspend hate speech laws for marriage plebiscite.

Gillian Triggs

Well the Australian Christian lobby has gone a hate bridge too far this time. Every man and his dog is lining up to put the boot into the hate group, after they had the audacity and stupidity to demand that hate speech laws (only the ones protecting the LGBT) in Australia be suspended during public debate over a marriage equality plebiscite. This so they could come up with whatever revolting shit they wanted about us without having to answer to their actions.

Most notably Gillian Triggs of the independent Human Rights Commission has rubbished the ACL request, calling it outrageous and a disgraceful way of dealing with the issue and ripping the ACL a new asshole in doing so.

What's more a group of around 40 religious leaders have signed a letter asking Turnbull to ditch the whole plebiscite idea.

The Human Rights Commission has rubbished the Australian Christian Lobby's call for anti-discrimination laws to be suspended during the same-sex marriage plebiscite, describing it as "outrageous" and based on a misunderstanding of the law. 

In a separate move, about 40 religious leaders have written to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull urging him to ditch the plebiscite plan altogether, arguing it will damage the standing of religious communities and harm the mental health of gay people. 

Responding to the ACL's push to have anti-discrimination laws "set aside" during the plebiscite campaign to ensure free speech, Australian Human Rights Commission President Gillian Triggs said it was a "disgraceful way of dealing with the issue". 

"[They] are saying that we have to stand down or suspend the laws so that you can do what would otherwise be a vilification," Professor Triggs told Fairfax Media on Tuesday. 

"It's an outrageous proposition and it's highly misguided." 

Professor Triggs said the ACL's call for the federal government to "override" anti-discrimination laws, particularly state-based laws, was "based on a failure to understand the way the law works". 

She said the right to freedom of religious views was one of the best-protected rights in Australia because it was entrenched in the Constitution, adding there was no federal law against vilification on the basis of sexuality and only Queensland, NSW and the ACT made it unlawful to incite hatred on the basis of sexual orientation. 

While Tasmania takes a broader approach, Professor Triggs said there was no rush of findings against free speech in the state. 

"It is a very, very high threshold," she said, countering the ACL argument that current laws would make the "no" camp vulnerable to "the constant threat of quasi and full-blown legal action" during the plebiscite. Canberra Times

The plebiscite is starting to look decidedly fucked, unworkable, and needing to be euthanised. It was after all a delay tactic by asshole Abbott and never meant to accomplish anything. Turnbull has to deal with it now, in this an election year when suddenly his glamour has decidedly and suddenly worn extremely thin.


The Australian Christian Lobby has gotten exactly what it deserves. Derision and mockery for it's self absorbed delusions of grandeur and thoughtless stupidity. This action alone by the ACL will go a long way to shore up a yes vote, if the plebiscite ever gets off the ground again after this latest stunt of theirs. An own goal.

So stick that up your clacker ACL :) 

 

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