George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I present the 137th report of the Senate Standing Committee of Privileges entitled Persons referred to in the Senate: Mr Anthony and Mrs Brenda Bird, members of the Exclusive Brethren.

Ordered that the report be printed.

by leave—I move:

That the report be adopted.

This report is the 54th report of the Committee of Privileges recommending a right of reply under privilege resolution 5. On 16 September 2008 the President received a submission from several members of the Exclusive Brethren relating to remarks made in the Senate on 26, 27 and 28 August by Senator Bob Brown and Senator Christine Milne. The bulk of this matter was dealt with in the committee’s 135th report, which was adopted by the Senate on 24 September 2008.

This report deals with the residue of that matter and recommends that a response by Mr A and Mrs B Bird, which has been the subject of correspondence between the Birds and the committee, be incorporated in Hansard. While the committee is satisfied that a right of reply should be accorded in this case, it has noted in the report that in respect of persons who are not identified by name it has probably taken the application of resolution 5 about as far as it was designed to go. I commend the report to the Senate.

Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I am mindful of being named in that report. I do not have it at hand. But I want to put on record that I have absolutely no concern with citizens who might feel aggrieved in one way or another having their point of view put in this place. I think that it is a good practice.

Question agreed to.

The response read as follows—

Appendix One

Response by Mr & Mrs A Bird, Pursuant to Resolution 5(7)(B) of the Senate of 25 February 1988

We write as aggrieved members of the Exclusive Brethren in relation to comments made on Tuesday 26 August 2008, at approx 5:57 PM, by Senator Christine Milne from Tasmania to the Senate generally on the subject of making an inquiry into certain matters relating to our Church.

In her address, Senator Milne stated: When I taught at Devonport High School back in the early 1980’s at that stage there were no Exclusive Brethren schools as such and some of the students came to Devonport High. I had a particularly bright young woman in my class, and I urged her to go on to Don College …”

As Brenda came from Devonport and attended Devonport High School at around the time referred to, she is quite familiar with the persons referred to by Mrs Christine Milne.

We wish to address the statements made by Senator Milne in her address:

(i)

Senator Milne commented that girls are not allowed to do manual arts subjects. This is totally inaccurate. It was a requirement for all students to undertake woodwork, metalwork & technical drawing at this school. We are not aware of any exemption granted.

(ii)

Senator Milne stated that students would not be going on to further education. As no further years were offered past Year 10 at Devonport High School, it was necessary to attend another College for further study, which many persons did, Exclusive Brethren members included.

(iii)

Senator Milne stated that our marriages are arranged. This was certainly not the case for every couple that we have ever known in the Church, and was certainly not the case for ourselves. We first met through social contact and from this contact our relationship developed completely on our own initiative and commitment.

(iv)

Senator Milne commented that within the Church married women are precluded form working. This is not so, we are aware of many married female persons in the workforce from our Church.

We feel that Senator Milne has maligned the members of the Exclusive Brethren Church.

Her quotations are incorrect and they display her obvious dislike for what our organisation stands for. She has taken her inaccurate memories and assumptions from one student to brand our whole Church as being a ruthless, illegal sect. This is certainly not the accurate, fair or unbiased outlook that we expect to see from members of the Australian Government.

As we greatly respect the Australian Parliamentary system and all that it stands for, we feel that it is only right that a balanced account should be on record of what the facts actually were in the years that Senator Milne refers to in her address.

(signed)

Anthony & Brenda Bird

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I present the 136th report of the Senate Standing Committee of Privileges entitled Persons referred to in the Senate: Mr Barry Williams, President of the Lone Fathers Association Australia Inc.

Ordered that the report be printed.

by leave—I move:

That the report be adopted.

This report is the 53rd in a series of reports recommending a right of reply be accorded to persons who claim to have been adversely affected by being referred to either by name or in such a way as to be readily identified in the Senate. It concerns an application by Mr Barry Williams, President of the Lone Fathers Association Australia Incorporated, for a response to remarks made about him by Senator Siewert in a question without notice on 3 December 2008. The application was forwarded to the committee by the President on 3 February 2009. The committee has considered the submission against the criteria set out in privilege resolution 5 and recommends that the proposed response be incorporated in Hansard.

The committee reminds the Senate that in matters of this nature it does not judge the truth or otherwise of statements made by honourable senators or the persons referred to. Rather, it ensures that these persons’ submissions and, ultimately, the responses it recommends accord with the criteria set out in privilege resolution 5. I commend the motion to the Senate.

Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—Senator Siewert tells me that she has no problem with a person having their point of view printed in Hansard. It would be helpful, and I put this request to the Committee of Privileges, if senators who are involved in such reports were given prior notice of the matter so that we can ensure that we are here when the report from the committee comes before the Senate.

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I indicate that in conformity with the practice of the Committee of Privileges the complaints which were the subject of the recommendations in the respective reports were communicated in correspondence to Senators Brown and Siewert respectively.

Question agreed to.

The response read as follows—

Appendix One

Response by Mr Barry Williams of the Lone Fathers Association of Australia Inc. Pursuant to Resolution 5(7)(b) of the Senate of 25 February 1988

I am currently the President of the LFAA, and have been a committed advocate for lone fathers and their families for over thirty years. I established the Lone Fathers’ Association (LFA) in 1973. The Association is now a national organisation and peak body with Branches in most States and Territories. I am also the National Vice President and Welfare Coordinator of Parents Without Partners Australia (PWP), and First Vice President of the Shared Parenting Association (SPCA).

I have been a federal lobbyist in the Australian Parliament since 1976. I was instrumental in having the Single Mothers’ Pension extended in 1977 to include single fathers, following personal representations made by me to the then Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser. This was an important move towards greater gender-equality in family law. Members of Parliament on both sides of politics have told us that the LFA is respected for the work it does, and in particular for our strong stand against discrimination of any kind. This support for our work has come, amongst many others, from Senators Joe Ludwig, Jenny Macklin, Gary Humphries, and Steve Fielding, and previous Senators Jocelyn Newman and David Brownhill.

Claims by Senator Siewert

As you are aware, Senator Siewert stated in the Senate on 3 December 2008 that Tanya Plibersek, now (ALP) Minister for Housing and Women’s Affairs, had expressed the view some time ago that the LFAA is an “extreme group”. Senator Siewert said that, “Minister Plibersek…stated that she was proud to belong to the ALP because if refused to deal with extreme groups such as the Lone Fathers Association. I wonder how proud Minister Plibersek is now?”

Information from the Department of Family and Community Services and Indigenous Affairs indicates that no such statement was in fact made by Senator Plibersek. What Ms Plibersek actually said was that, “It makes me proud to be a member of the Labor Party when I hear that Bob Hawke and Paul Keating are not listening to extreme voices in this debate”. The Lone Fathers Association was not mentioned by Ms Plibersek at all, nor would it have been at all appropriate to have done so.

Senator Siewert further stated in Parliament that, “During question time today, the Government justified this appointment (of Barry Williams as a health ambassador), saying they wanted a diversity of views. Is it the Government’s intention to encourage anti-gay, anti-women, and domestic violence denial? How does this help men’s health?”

Senator Siewert’s statement that the Lone Fathers Association is anti-gay and anti-women and practises “domestic violence denial” is wrong, and in the LFAA’s view is seriously defamatory.

The LFAA is not and never has been an extreme group of any kind. The Association is a moderate and “mainstream” group of fathers and associated family members and friends who wish to remain part of their children’s lives after separation. It has been recognised as such for several decades, at the highest political level, by successive Governments from both sides of politics. During this time, the LFAA has made many well-regarded and influential submissions to government and the Parliament on family law and related issues.

The LFAA is not in any sense anti-woman. Women account for one third of its membership and half of its National Committee, and the LFAA has close links with the gender-neutral, Australia-wide organisation, Parents Without Partners.

Nor is the LFAA in any way anti-gay. It has conducted community services on behalf of government which fully recognised and respected the equal rights of gay clients, and was pleased to be able to do this. The LFAA does believe that, at least in the great majority of cases, children require for their proper emotional and moral development suitable contact with both their biological parents - but this is not an anti-gay position, merely a commonsense one.

The LFAA is very strongly opposed to violence against women, and has made this clear on many occasions. The LFAA is, however, also opposed to family violence against men and children, and has reservations about one-sided propaganda campaigns against men which create an unjustified anti-male climate of opinion in the community, encourage false accusations, and fail to provide the help needed by women, including women who use violence against their children. The “UN report on violence against women” which Senator Siewert referred to was considered by the UN representatives of a number of senior western countries, including Australia, to have displayed an unacceptably extreme gender bias against men, and was not adopted by the relevant UN committee for that reason. Failure to understand and accept that decision does indeed, in the LFAA’s view, amount to “denial” of the reality of domestic violence.

Senator Siewert stated in her Parliamentary question that, “…two former prime ministers (refused) to meet with Mr Williams”. This further statement is also wrong. In fact, I was appointed by the Hawke Government as one of the consultants advising on the development of the original Child Support Scheme, which was established in 1988. I was subsequently asked by the Deputy Prime Minster of the day, Brian Howe, to act as a roving ambassador for the Government, and travelled throughout Australia over a period of two years explaining the new Scheme. Mr Howe was complimentary about the work done on this project.

I was then subsequently appointed in 2004 by the Howard Government as a member of the Ministerial Task Force on Child Support, charged with advising on further reform to child support arrangements. Subsequent to that, I was engaged by the Government to assist via the Child Support Communications Project by helping publicise the new Child Support Scheme, and have been complimented by the present Government for this work.

I was recognised my work for lone parents and their children as recipient of the British Empire Medal in1980, ACT Senior Australian of the Year Award in 2005, and the Prestige Regional Rural New South Wales and ACT Achievements Award 2007.

Senator Siewert’s incorrect statements have damaged the good name of the LFAA and caused me and other members of the organisation significant distress.

(Signed)

Barry Williams