There was an atmosphere of keen anticipation in early 1992 concerning the impending introduction of anti-discrimination legislation in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly. Many expected that they would finally be provided with some protection from the kind of negative treatment that had been prevalent over preceding decades. But, the hopes of the Territory's queer community were dashed with the announcement that sexuality was to be explicitly excluded from the grounds on which discrimination would be unlawful. Fortunately some public and private lobbying, and likely pressure from the federal government, saw its complete omission overturned. However, while sexuality would now be included the draft legislation still had a sting in its tail and proposed exemptions were announced in the areas of education and the care of minors. The Country Liberal Party (CLP) government was clearly having some difficulty balancing the relaxing moral views of the broader community with those of its own more conservative supporters.

Although this was not particularly a Central Australian issue we received a 'call to arms' from connections in the NT AIDS Council (NTAC) and Darwin Gay and Lesbian Society (DGALS) urging us to join them in applying pressure to change the government's position. Emboldened by the justice of our cause and with the covert support of the AIDS Council of Central Australia (ACOCA) behind us we began organising. Di Lynn and other members of the ACOCA committee immediately wrote to the Advocate publicly challenging the announced omission and calling for real equality.

Centralian Advocate: July 28, 1992 p.9 © News Ltd: used with permission.

Equal opportunity for all SIR, The recent decision by the Territory Government to exclude the sexual preference clause in the proposed Equal Opportunity Legislation must be condemned by all residents of the Territory (irrespective of their sexuality). Our moral crusaders, Mr Shane Stone and Mr Mike Reed, should concern themselves with other areas of deep concern to all Territorians, and indeed all Australians, particularly in the family unit - the number of incest cases, domestic violence against women, families living in poverty, the break-down of the family unit, single parent families, and the list goes on. Why the Government has chosen to exclude the sexual preference clause in the Equal Opportunity legislation is very questionable.

We suspect this decision is based on deep rooted fear and ignorance of the gay community.
Lesbians and gay men in the Territory pay taxes, work in a variety of jobs at all levels in the community and contribute individually and collectively side by side with the heterosexual population.
Come on politicians - open your eyes, educate yourselves to the realities of the Territory in the 1990s and overturn your decision before it's too late.
Equal opportunity for all not just for some!

Di Lynn and six other signatures,
Alice Springs

However things were already moving very rapidly and within days the government had announced it would be including sexuality, but with exemptions.

Sensing that the government's haste could easily eliminate opportunities to lobby through formal channels, a meeting was called of interested individuals to discuss strategies. Surprisingly there was strong support for some form of public protest in town and a plan was quickly formulated to picket the Chief Minister's Alice Springs office that Friday. Conscious of the potential for repercussions, and without formal authority, the group was keen to avoid bringing the wrath of the government down on any interested organisations, and so the "Central Australian Lesbian and Gay Group" was created allowing ACOCA and Central Network to keep well clear of any controversy.

Homosexuals to protest laws The Central Australian Gay and Lesbian Council [sic] will hold a protest outside the Chief Minister's office tomorrow to protest the proposed Equal Opportunity Legislation. The Territory Government announced on Wednesday it planned to list "sexuality" as a ground of prohibited discrimination. But it will introduce amendments to allow discrimination against homosexuals in areas such as child care and the care of minors. The gay community, the Aids Council and the Opposition are unhappy with the bill. A spokesman for the Central Australian Gay and Lesbian Council said it was rubbish that gay people were often child molesters.

Centralian Advocate: July 30, 1992 p.2 © News Ltd: used with permission.

"Studies by the Australian Criminology Institute have proven that heterosexual people are responsible for almost all cases of child sexual abuse," he said.
The Acting Minister for Public Employment Max Ortmann announced that the proposed Equal Opportunity Legislation would be amended to make discrimination against gays illegal
But the bill will include exemptions covering areas such as child care centres and the care of minors. The homosexual community has campaigned vigorously to have the Territory Government outlaw discrimination against gays.
Mr Ortmann said the bill had been changed to incorporate a sexuality clause in response to community concerns - not in reaction to the "ratbag minority".
The protest rally will be held outside Chief Minister Marshall Perron's office in Bath Street at 12.30 pm on Friday
Meanwhile a controversial proposal to change sexual assault laws was released yesterday for public discussion.
Attorney-General Daryl Manzie released a 203-page report outlining a series of recommendations to deal with the rising incidence of sexual assaults in the Territory.
Among the more controversial recommendations are removing the presumption that children are incompetent to give evidence (in sex assault cases) and abolishing the need for corroborating evidence for victims. Other recommendations include broadening the definition at what constitutes sexual assault and a definition of consent which strengthens the legal rights of potential victims of sexual assault. The definition would emphasize children under the age of 10 cannot consent to sex.

Already labelled the "ratbag minority" by the esteemed Max Ortmann (who eventually left office in disgrace after wrapping a microphone cord around a journalist's neck mid-interview), and with a strong sense of 'now or never', we managed to muster a respectably large and rowdy crowd on the day with many lesbians, gay men and supporters milling in the carpark.

Having been delegated to borrow a megaphone from the school where I worked, and unable to offload it onto anyone else, I soon found myself in the position of making announcements to the crowd which quickly led to leading chants and making a speech. Fortunately several others stepped up as well and we managed to keep a steady stream of noise and activity going that slowed traffic for an hour or so. We were all pleasantly surprised and bouyed by the success of the event. But the biggest surprise of all was the vocal participation of CLP Member for Araluen, Eric Poole. Clearly there were divisions in the government ranks that we were not aware of.

Later that evening at the Oasis Motel a number of us met for the scheduled Friday night drinks and to relive the excitement of the afternoon. It was a surreal post-script to the day when the seven o'clock ABC news came on screen in the hushed public bar and we watched ourselves come out and demand our rights in glowing colour.

As part of the campaign we had also taken out an advertisement in the Centralian Advocate calling for support, promoting the rally, and encouraging people to write to the Chief Minister. The recent inclusion of sexuality with exemptions required some minor rewording before going to press.

The Northern Territory Cabinet recently decided to introduce Equal Opportunity Legislation to prevent discrimination based on gender, marital status, pregnancy, race, disability or age. The Cabinet decided, however, to omit discrimination on the grounds of sexuality from its legislation. It will ensure that discrimination against lesbians, bisexuals and gay men continues to be legal.

The following individuals and groups call for the Northern Territory Cabinet to amend the legislation to prevent discrimination on the basis of sexuality.

Defamatory propaganda SIR, The gay lobby's defamatory propaganda cannot go unchallenged. Its assertion that "nearly all cases of sexual assault on children are by heterosexual men" is a deliberate and desperate misrepresentation of the facts What these fanatical zealots do not want you to know is that the ratio of hetero to homosexual men relegates the latter to the status of an extremely small percentage (albeit a very loud and visible one). Therefore the percentage of homosexual child molesters appears relatively low. Some simple arithmetic reveals the truth behind this slander. The gay lobby's definition of "heterosexual men" also appears undefined. In recent years overt homosexuals have desperately tried to distance themselves from "closet" homosexuals - who they consider to be a political liability. These men who often masquerade as normal married fathers but still maintain a secret homosexual lifestyle have now been branded "men that have sex with men" by the gay lobby. This is a pathetic attempt to distance themselves from the main target of the public AIDS backlash. Regardless of what sanitary label they put on them they are still homosexuals. Police reports show that these "closet" homosexuals are notorious for child sex attacks. Add to this the numbers of crimes that go unreported because of shame, disgust and fear and one gets a very different picture than the one perpetrated by this "win at all costs" organisation. Shane Stringer, Alice Springs.

Centralian Advocate: August 13, 1992 p.9 © News Ltd: used with permission.

Support for homosexuals

SIR, The proposed NT laws on anti-discrimination should include sexuality without any exception.
Gay men and lesbians contribute as much to society as any other group and it is totally unfair to propose legalising discrimination against them.
Members of the Arid Lands Environment Centre would like to express their support for homosexual people.
We consider that a mature and compassionate society should protect the rights of minorities to live as they choose.
A fair go for everyone is the Australian tradition we want to see continue.

David Young,
Arid Lands Environment Centre,
Alice Springs.

Centralian Advocate: August 18, 1992 p.2 © News Ltd: used with permission.

New legislation to exempt homosexuals The Territory's new equal opportunity legislation will exempt homosexuals from working with minors. Conservation, Primary Industry and Fisheries Minister Mike Reed confirmed yesterday that while the Equal Opportunities Bill to be introduced today in the Parliament has a sexual preference clause, it will have strong exemptions.

These will apply to people in charge of minors in child-care centres, kindergartens, schools and in the workplace. "I am very happy the way the bill is coming along," Mr Reed said.
"There is a real level of protection for minors which extends to certain circumstances in the workplace. Minors need that level of protection.
Mr Reed said he had an incredible response from Territorians to his stance of protecting minors.
"I don't have any embarrassment standing up for the morals and concerns of the broader community," Mr Reed said.
Asked whether he was concerned the bill may be seen by homosexual groups as a product of his opposition to homosexuals, Mr Reed said he was not worried.
"But I do want to make clear that there won't be a purge of teachers or anything like that as has been suggested by the union," he said.
It was believed the Territory Government would not introduce the legislation until Thursday.
But the bill is now ready for the first reading and it is expected it will happen today.

Gays leave their mark Homosexual protesters left their mark on a number of buildings in Alice Springs on Sunday night. Pink triangles and dollar signs were placed on buildings in the Central Business District. A spokesman for the Central Australian Lesbian and Gay Group said homosexuals paid taxes and therefore were entitled to equal rights before the law. CALAGG has been lobbying the Government to amend its proposed Equal Opportunity Legislation, which allows for employers to discriminate against homosexuals in areas such as child care. A CALAGG spokesman said CALAGG did not condone the placing of pink triangles on buildings, but the message of the triangles was that homosexuals were an integral part of the community financially as well as socially.

Centralian Advocate: August 18, 1992 p.2 © News Ltd: used with permission.

As more letters to the editor began to appear in the Advocate, there was a surprisingly strong tendency for them to speak against the exemptions and in favour of equality before the law. The Christian lobby groups and letter-writing campaigns that would subsequently come to characterise queer controversies in Central Australia had yet to establish themselves. An eloquent Leigh Hillman took Shane Stringer's numeracy and understanding of child abuse to task, and offered him a spelling lesson.

Centralian Advocate: August 20, 1992 p.9 © News Ltd: used with permission.

Ignorance serves to perpetuate false ideas SIR, In his recent correspondence (Centralian Advocate 13-8-92) Shane Stringer purports to use "simple arithmetic" to justify a shallow and bigoted argument that sexual abuse of children is more frequently perpetrated by homosexual males than heterosexual males. Mr Stringer's effort at intellectual posturing is rather thwarted by his total failure to provide statistical data substantiating his claims. Nor does he even provide details of the "police reports" from which he has allegedly obtained the information an which he bases his opinion. It is clear that Mr Stringer lacks even a basic understanding of the issues and research related to child sexual abuse. Statistics which have been recently referred to during the Equal Opportunity Legislation debate are accepted by those professionals working with families and survivors of child sexual abuse.

However, given Mr Stringer's inability to comprehend that arithmetic requires the use of little figures known as numbers, it is unlikely that he will manage to extend his intellectual depth to the complexities of the problem.
Mr Stringer's ignorance is not simply unfortunate for him.
It serves to sabotage the facts of child sexual abuse and perpetuates mythologies which allow the community to avoid the real issues regarding child sexual abuse.
Perhaps, Mr Stringer, if you're not busy searching for elves in your back garden, you may take time to read a dictionary and find that "homosexual" is not spelt "paedophile".

Leigh Hillman,
Alice Springs

Gays victims of false campaign SIR, As a human being and a part-time member of the NT community, it upsets me to see the Territory Government embarking on an ignorant and unjust campaign against homosexuals with the exemption of sexual preference clauses in the area of equal opportunity legislation for minders of minors. These exemptions are based on inaccurate public perceptions and stereotypes that a homosexual must also be a paedophile and child molester. While I am not absolving all homosexuals from these claims, for there have been a number of cases of improper conduct involving homosexual caregivers and their charges, it is unfair to hold an entire group in our community responsible based on the actions of a few members of the group and the resulting stereotypes that emerge with extensive media coverage, especially when there are as many guilty heterosexual child minders.

Centralian Advocate: August 25, 1992 p.9 © News Ltd: used with permission.

Are you going to pass legislation prohibiting women from taking charge of motor vehicles based on the general stereotype that women are poor drivers and knowing that 30 per cent of voters will support it? Of course not.
As a young heterosexual adult, I naturally look forward to marriage and my own family and so I empathise and appreciate the concern of parents for the well-being of their children.
One of the greatest pursuits of a human's life is to protect, nurture and educate your children from infancy to adulthood.
But isn't another prominent human goal the pursuit of total equality among members of our community?
Don't we try to instil in our developing youth that every person regardless of color, creed or sexual preference should be respected equally and granted the same rights as every other citizen?
So why is the Territory Government prepared to demonstrate it is willing to tolerate and condone discrimination among citizens based on ill-informed stereotypes?
Don't get me wrong. I applaud the Territory Government's quest to protect its children but using discrimination against one part of the community is not the answer.
Strengthen the penalties against the convicted child abusers and regulate the improvement of conditions under which children are supervised in order to provide the best possible protection from harm.
Who a person chooses as a partner in their private lives should not be a determinant for their suitability as a minder as long as it does not affect their ability and manner of the education and protection of children in their care.
The worst part about these equal opportunity exemptions is that it will achieve nothing but to show the rest of the world [the] NT accepts discrimination.
It will not deter homosexuals from becoming teachers and caregivers.
It will simply suppress their freedom to openly declare their sexual preferences and force them to barricade themselves and their activities back in the proverbial closet.
I understand the MLAs are, to quote Mike Reed, "standing up for the morals and concerns of the broader community" but doesn't the role of a community leader include pointing out to its constituents when something is wrong.
It was less than 100 years ago black Americans were allowed to be lynched from trees because the local politicians were "standing up for the morals and concerns of the broader community."
Discrimination is wrong.
Period.
It doesn't matter how you dress it up and disguise it, discrimination will always be a discredit to our species.
Territorians have always been renowned for giving everyone a "fair go".
Why should this equal opportunity legislation be any different?

Name Withheld By Request,
Alice Springs

Legislation concern to all

Sir, We are writing to express our concerns in relation to the proposed equal opportunity/ anti-discrimination legislation.
The Government has recently decided to reinstate sexuality as a ground on which discrimination will be prohibited under this legislation.
We applaud this decision because it will make it easier for gay men (the group still most at risk of HIV infection) to come forward to access our services thus assisting efforts to control the spread of HIV in our community.
Nevertheless, we remain concerned by the inclusion of exemptions in the legislation which would ensure discrimination on the grounds of sexuality continues to be legal in areas involving the care, instruction or supervision of minors.
This would make it unnecessarily difficult for homosexual and bisexual people working in these fields to access the AIDS Council's services.
In addition to this, we are also deeply concerned that the proposed exemptions will restrict HIV/AIDS education by excluding discussion on sexuality and safer sexual practices, particularly in the education of young sexually active individuals, as it may be considered to be promoting a particular sexual lifestyle or practise.
Paragraph 4.1.2 of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy specifically identifies young people in rural areas as a group in particular need of further AIDS education.
In line with this strategy, the AIDS Council of Central Australia calls for the removal of any legislative barrier preventing effective HIV/AIDS education and calls upon the NT Government to urgently reconsider its decision on exemptions to the proposed equal opportunity/ anti-discrimination legislation.
There seem to have been two main concerns raised by Minister of the Government, i) that homosexual and bisexual people pose a physical threat to our children, that is they are likely to sexually interfere with them, and, ii) that they will attempt to influence the sexuality of our children.
Neither of these concerns are based on facts.
Then is no evidence to suggest that children's sexual development can be influenced by their teachers or carers.
Similarly, the evidence in regard to child sexual abuse contradicts the commonly held misconception that the majority of cases of such abuse are perpetrated by homosexual people.
With regard to protecting our children from sexual abuse and other inappropriate behaviour, there are already numerous provisions in place, irrespective of the sexuality of the perpetrator.
These provisions include the criminal code, professional codes of conduct, staff disciplinary policies and practices and, in the case of child workers the standard practice of carrying out police and criminal record checks.
We consider that these provisions are the logical means by which to protect our children, not the proposed equal opportunity/ anti-discrimination legislation.
In matters of public health as important as this the NT Government should lead our community.
By providing people of all sexualities with equal access to protection of the law, the Government would be improving the effectiveness of HIV/ AIDS education in the Northern Territory, as well bringing us into line with the National HIV/AIDS Strategy.
It is an opportunity our elected representatives can ill afford to pass up.

Sue Smith,
President,
(on behalf of the committee and staff of the AIDS Council of Central Australia), Alice Springs.

Decision applauded

SIR, As a concerned mother of two I applaud the Government's decision to exempt homosexuals from working with minors.
I admire Mike Reed's courageous stand for the protection of our nation's greatest resource - our children.

Concerned parent,
Name withheld by request,
Alice Springs

© Graham Pearce: used with permission.

Dear Neil, This may be one of the most surprising letters you will have received during your political life, but I think the time has come for me to make my very first openly political statement. I am aware of your personal involvement in the Joblin affair but believe that your actions were in response to the man's specific writings rather than his sexuality. I hope this is the case and that you wouldn't for instance have objected to Michelangelo winning the commission to paint the Sistine chapel frescos if you'd been a politician of the time! As you may know I've been living in this town foe the past 22 years, was married for 10 of those years and, apart from a couple of years, have held a public service position and still do. I like to think that I have a good relationship with those people that I've lived and worked with for all these years. If I now announce that I'm gay, should my level of opportunity in the employment market suddenly diminish and be set somewhere below that of a sexually straight person? If the CLP get their way this is precisely what happens. In my view to leave sexuality out of the proposed legislation regarding equal opportunity is an enormous social wrong that is totally unacceptable

I feel strongly enough about this issue Neil to say to you that I am gay and on behalf of the rest of the openly gay men and women who may suffer as a result of the CLP's proposal, may I urge you to be as vocal as possible in an effort to rescind this decision

If you want to discuss any aspect of this letter, I'll be only too happy to do so. In the meantime I trust in your confidence.

NB The Joblin (sic) affair refers to Bell's role in alerting the SA Department of Education that openly gay and HIV positive playright, David Paul Jobling, who had been appointed an artist in residence for several weeks at a South Australian school, had previously written an ironic article with sado-masochistic imagery while guest editor for the DGALS newsletter. The cancellation of his residency was later to become the subject of a complaint before the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity commission that found in Jobling's favour against the SA government, and was strongly critical of Bell's role in the matter.

Two months later, well after the government had reinstated sexuality to the draft act, Graham received the following reply from Bell, obliquely indicating his support for the exemptions and the government position. The promised paper was never received.

Dear Graham Thank you for your letter of 8 July and I was hoping to respond to it sooner. I can imagine the emotional energy that has gone into your writing it. My involvement in the "Jobling affair" is as you understand it. As I see it Paul Jobling's writings would not have disqualified him from being a writer in residence at a university but they did in my view disqualify him from being a writer in residence at a country primary school. My position personally on the issue of homosexual rights is to distinguish between personal tolerance and support for public advocacy of homosexuality. The former I strongly believe in and have been very hurt by accusations of encouraging hatred for homosexuals as individuals. I am, on the other hand, strongly opposed to the public advocacy of homosexuality to young people. (I have tried to put some of these thoughts together in the attached paper.)

...There has been considerable public debate on the issue of homosexuality. I want to make several points about this. Let me say at the outset that the distinction between the opposition's view and the government's view in this regard is that we believe strongly in tolerance of homosexuality. We believe strongly that homosexuals should not be pushed around in the kind of way that we have heard the member for Katherine suggest time and time again in this Assembly. Let me read a letter that I received subsequent to the publicity that was associated with what some people referred to as the Joblin affair. I received this from a friend in Alice Springs and I propose to read it into the Hansard:

Mr Hatton: Is the member going to table that letter?

Mr BELL: Mr Speaker, I was afraid that somebody would be silly enough to request that. I am quite happy about it and I seek leave to table the document.

Leave granted.

A member: In other words, no name appears on it.

Mr BELL: Suffice it to say, Mr Speaker, that the member for Nightcliff will be deeply disappointed because it provides no more information than I have read into Hansard.

I support strongly the proposals put forward by my colleague. In relation to the care and supervision of children, the sensitivities of the community must be respected. In respect of the material that was the subject of public debate previously, I believe that my concerns were completely justified. In fact, that would be exactly the kind of material that would rob a person having the care or supervision of children of a defence under this legislation in the terms of the amendment that my colleague has proposed.

Before I leave that matter. whilst I do not intend to table the letter that I received from the AIDS Council of Central Australia, I do want to place on record my personal anger at being accused of inspiring the hatred of any group in the community, be they homosexual or whatever. I took great exception to that. The balance between the legitimate aspirations of parents of children in schools and the legitimate desire for civil rights on the part of homosexual people is an issue that deserves constructive debate and I have sought to contribute to that debate.

My point in this regard is that society has a basic interest in heterosexual relations, in family relations, in the nurturing of the next generation and in the continuity of society. That is a fundamental objective. I believe equally that people who are homosexual must accept that there are certain constraints on the areas in which they can promote their lifestyle.

Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory. (1992). Sixth Assembly First Session 11/17/92  Parliamentary Record No:14, Anti-Discrimination Bill (Serial 188), pp 6680-81.

And it was not only Neil Bell who was smarting over sharp words from Central Australia. Minister Reed, who had taken a strong public stance in favour of the exemptions, had received a raft of postcards from the Darwin queer community as well as a letter of protest from ACOCA. While he was mildly amused by the former, he was not happy about ACOCA's criticisms and railed against the perceived homosexual takeover of an AIDS council, that was essentially founded by and for the queer community. It was exactly this kind of reasoning that would be subsequently applied against ACOCA when issues such as the You're Not Alone campaign became the subject of public controversy the following year.

Mr REED (Primary Industry and Fisheries): Mr Speaker, I do not mean to spend long on my contribution to this debate, but there are a few points that I wish to make. Sadly, they will disappoint the member for Nelson who perhaps implied that I might be a government member who would like to oppose the bill. I make the point at the outset that that is not the case. I support the legislation. However, I make the point also that I do not resile from the part that I have played.

I admit that I played a fairly public role in expressing my views in relation to many of the matters that have been discussed during the process of public consultation in the preparation of this legislation. If anyone wants to experience discrimination, they should consider taking the course that I took because I never knew what discrimination meant until I publicly expressed my views on some matters in this legislation. I was vilified and criticised by people from every quarter and by several members opposite, some of whom have since changed their views. Certainly, I was surprised to hear the comments of the member for MacDonnell. I believe he is now trying to have two bob each way in respect of the sexuality provisions. This is not surprising because I have watched with a great deal of interest his performance in relation to this matter. We should recall that he was instrumental in preventing someone from gaining employment in South Australia because of their behaviour in relation to sexual matters. Do not misunderstand me, I do not disagree with the action that he took on that occasion. However, in expressing concern tonight that, under this legislation, a known homosexual could be prevented from working with children, I thought he was having two bob each way. He should examine his own actions and reflect those actions in the comments that he makes to this House.

In relation to the discrimination to which I referred earlier, I received a considerable amount of correspondence about my remarks. However, some of this correspondence contained transcripts of radio programs in which people responded to some of the things that I have said. It was very wide-ranging correspondence. It is interesting to note the reactions of some people. Human nature is strange. I received a postcard from a free beach with a little note at the bottom: 'Dear Mike, Hope your phobias soon pass and that you are feeling your old self again. Love Gladys'. Clearly, that person has a sense of humour and I do not need to speculate on the views and practices this person might engage in. It is nice to know that other people think in a more kindly way and they have taken the time to say a prayer for me: 'A prayer for reform. Lord reform your world, beginning with me'. These are only a few examples. The cards fill a small box and are quite amusing. I must say that they add a different touch. It was suggested to me that I should wear gloves when I handle these materials. However, those examples give an indication to honourable members of the kind of response that I have received.

Something that did cause me particular concern was the correspondence from the AIDS Council of Central Australia in particular. I may be under a misapprehension, but I was of the view that AIDS councils were established and are recipients of government funding to help those unfortunate people infected with the AIDS virus. I would not have thought that any such person would be denied assistance by AIDS councils or would feel that there could be some impediment to their approaching AIDS councils for assistance. Consequently, I was disturbed at the correspondence that I received from the AIDS councils. They have adopted a single-minded approach of supporting the homosexual movement. I find that very disappointing. It is a betrayal of the role of the AIDS councils. Anyone with AIDS or anyone with a relative or friend who is infected with the AIDS virus should have no concerns about approaching AIDS councils. They should be able to approach those organisations without feeling that they approaching an organisation that supports homosexual practices or activities. That could act as a deterrent to some people who otherwise would seek assistance from those organisations.

Quite clearly, the AIDS councils, particularly the AIDS Council of Central Australia, are being used as vehicles to promote the gay movement and homosexuality. That is being done at the expense of people whom the AIDS councils were set up and funded with taxpayers' money to assist. I call on the AIDS councils and similar organisations to think about the people who occupy influential positions within their organisations. They should review exactly what they are doing and the types of services that they offer to the broader community. I believe they are betraying the very purpose for which they were established - to provide a service to the community at large.

Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory. (1992). Sixth Assembly First Session 11/17/92  Parliamentary Record No:14, Anti-Discrimination Bill (Serial 188), pp 6689-90.

In the end the CLP government, with the support of opposition members like Neil Bell, was successful in implementing their inequal legislation. Although the circumstances allowing discrimination on the basis of sexuality in relation to the care of minors were ultimately quite restricted, it still felt like a major loss to us at the time. But, nothing is forever, and a decade later in 2003 the Labor Attorney General, Dr Peter Toyne, introduced reform legislation to ensure equality for gay and lesbian territorians in a broad range of areas, including removing the discriminatory exemptions from the NT Anti-Discrimination Act.