By Dean Hurlston (President of Council Watch)
During these Local Council Elections - the Rainbow Local Government (RLG) Pledge is back.
As a gay man, I wanted to share my views and experiences over the last 4 years.
What is the Rainbow Local Government (RLG)?
The RLG is a campaign from the Victorian Pride Lobby (read, LGBTQIA+ Lobby) that seeks to advance the LGBTQIA+ agenda in Local Councils, BY ASKING ELECTION CANDIDATES TO COMMIT TO VARIOUS ACTIONS IF SUCCESSFULLY ELECTED, including:
- Establishing or continuing an LGBTQIA+ advisory committee
- Developing or renewing an LGBTQIA+ action plan
- Flying the rainbow flag and installing a rainbow (pedestrian) crossing.
You can read the detail and decide for yourself here: rainbowvotes.com.au
Candidates are asked a series of questions, from what Council or Ward you are running for, through to, most importantly, your gender, sexuality, and whether you are transgender or intersex.
This is very personal information. I think most people would be very cautious about ever answering such questions to anyone.
The Pledge also asks Candidates to commit to two main points:
- to "always act to further equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) people, work to end discrimination, and stand up for human rights", to "take seriously the impact that my actions and decisions both as a candidate for local council, and a councillor, can have on my local LGBTQIA+ community"
- to "actively consider and consult with LGBTQIA+ members of my community and provide them with an opportunity to be heard".
The initiatives the Lobby works towards, are understandably, all written in a language that invites acceptance at face value, and we probably all agree that everyone should be treated with kindness, courtesy and respect. That's fair on everyone.
The Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 has clear obligations on Councils and how they must behave.
- Councils (along with all Statutory bodies) have an obligation to act in a way that is compatible with Human Rights.
- Councils must provide Statements of Compatibility with Human Rights on any Local Laws and decisions of Council that are enacted.
- Members of the public have a right to participate in public life (Council decisions and meetings)
- Members of the public have a right to vote in Council Elections
- Members of the public have the right to equal access to the Public Service and Public Office
- Council Services must be provided to all, free from discrimination.
In Victoria, The Sex Discrimination Act makes it unlawful to discriminate against someone because of their sexual orientation, gender identity or intersex status.
Why does this matter? Well, because as an employer and as a service provider, Councils cannot discriminate on the basis of the items identified within the Pledge - gender, sexuality, and whether you are transgender or intersex.
Councils also cannot ask people for this information without explicit reasons to do so.
So why the need for the Pledge? What is it trying to fix?
It is claimed it is designed to ensure it addresses the disadvantage faced by the LGBTQIA+ community, which is a noble pursuit. But what discrimination in Council run services is it addressing? There is zero evidence in Councils of discrimination towards the LGBTQIA+ community.
Rainbow Local Government however is an emboldened small splinter group of activists who demand compliance with their agenda.
I have watched men and women Councillors/Community members be cyber stalked, targeted, vilified and set upon, for not agreeing with them, or for simply saying something the group does not agree with. What happened to free speech?
It’s no secret that within the Greens party there is a split between those that a) support trans people but do not want to remove women’s and girls’ rights to single sex spaces and respect this view and b) the small but loud trans first, women second elements. The trans vs women narrative has effectively split and destroyed long standing good elements of the party.
Whilst the RLG may be a good idea on paper, it has become the program that its founders use to ingratiate themselves with Councillors “who play on the team”.
For those who somehow are not on the RLG team, you will be watched and potentially harassed.
On the trans issue, Trans people need our support, they don't need harassment.
Like all of us, they just need to be left alone to live their lives.
What ruins any intent of the Rainbow local government program and pledge is the manner in which their loyal associated foot soldiers target and vilify, instead of seeking to educate and support.
Wherever comments on social media go against the pro LGBTQIA+ narrative, a loyal band of attack dogs go in for the social media kill and will hound over and over again. The aim of this swarming is shame, compliance or to force you off the platform.
God help you if you make a mistake on the topic, get your words wrong, or in any way express your view in a way they do not agree with.
Good governance.
Local Government is only as good as its Governance Processes
The Pledge and indeed ANY pledge may undermine the strength of Councillor Governance and insert promises and commitments, upon the successful candidates.
This pledge also fails to recognise that councillors once elected, will be required to make an oath of affirmation or office to undertake the duties of Councillor in the best interest of the (whole) municipal community. Not part. Not some. Not LGBTQIA+ more than others. Just everyone.
What else?
Signatories to the Pledge are advised that they "will receive a mark on our website based on whether you" “fully, partially, or refuse to commit to the five priorities". In addition, if you say anything RLG do not agree with, you get special banners that are red colour saying you should be avoided when it comes to voter support, and they are there for good. Demonising you without a right of reply, permanently on a public website is unfair.
LGBTQIA+ Candidates are also given a special branding and priority page.
How is that fair?
https://rainbowvotes.com.au/candidates
Putting all of this together, it is not difficult to see how the Pledge is, first and foremost, designed to make you commit in full to the Lobby's agenda (otherwise you will be named and shamed publicly), and to keep you committed after you have been elected (otherwise you will be, again, named and shamed, putting your public reputation at stake).
In political terms the Rainbow Local Government is simply a TROJAN HORSE.
A trojan horse is a “thing” presented as one thing, like a great initiative, that’s ultimately USED to force, demand, abuse or coercively control instead.
Sadly, that is exactly what the RLG program does.
Last words.
State and Federal governments have strict guidelines about inclusive language and the handling of sensitive information such as gender identity, sex characteristics, sex attraction, sexual orientation and practice, and sexual identity.
The handling of such information is incredibly private in its nature. This kind of information is not something that anyone should be requested to divulge while running for local council elections, or that should be displayed on a website for anyone to see.
The Privacy AND DATA PROTECTION Act and related National principles also contain strict requirements in the handling of such information. Council Watch therefore recommends that NO candidate should disclose this information to Rainbow Local Government or any other organisation in running for Council.
Further, this labelling exercise effectively disenfranchises non LGBTQIA+ candidates, as if they are somehow "less than" for not claiming the LGBTQIA+ label, or for simply not supporting the agenda which arguably, has very little (if anything) to do with what the general community is increasingly expecting from their Councils, which is more transparency, more accountability, better services, better infrastructure, value for money, and lower rates.
The Pledge also has the understandable wider problem of creating the incentive for bad actors to falsely appropriate and identify the LGBTQIA+ label for political advantage. The Pledge is therefore a major disservice to the LGBTQIA+ community, and to the ratepayers at large, it undermines good governance and democratic processes.
Council Watch strongly recommends that candidates DO NOT SIGN the Pledge from Rainbow Local Government entirely, in the pursuit of GOOD GOVERNANCE.
The idea of a candidate survey is fine, but a pledge COMMITS candidates, which may not be in the spirit of good governance.
Council candidates are much more than their LGBTQIA+ status and it is actually irrelevant to running for local Council.
There is nothing at all inherently wrong in supporting the LGBTQIA+ community, indeed the role of a Councillor is to ensure they support and consider the views, needs, and opinions of everyone in the whole community, but the Rainbow Local Government pledge should be avoided.
To all candidates, please just do not sign pledges, it may cause you untold issues if you are elected.
