Strategies and Campaigns

Published August 22, 2024
Lobbying, Marriage Equality

Forum in Brisbane Organised by PFLAG

In 2014 Brisbane people were seeking information about marriage equality so a forum was held at the Uniting Church at New Farm.

Guest Speakers were Christine Forster, Tony Abbott’s sister, Tim Wilson who was the HRC commissioner at the time, Rodney Croome, LGBTQIA+ activist, Peter Catt the Anglican Dean of Brisbane, Graham Perrett and Teresa Gambaro federal Liberal and Labor MP’s, Dr Sharon Dane, LGBTQIA+ researcher from UQ, and Paul Martin the psychologist, who spoke about the emotional impact the whole process was having on the community, and Janet Berry who spoke from a Christian parent’s perspective and my friend Kath Trotter. who is just an everyday Australian in favour of equality.

I thought a whole range of people would give the best overview to the audience.

And, of course as time went on the issue of marriage equality was our primary goal. There were more workshops, more traveling, more campaigning and more letters to be written.

Lunch with Federal Attorney General Robert McClelland

In 2011, 24 PFLAG parents met the Attorney General Robert McClelland for lunch.

One day I was visiting Graham Perrett, the MP for Moreton. He was doing a fundraising lunch. and he asked me if I would like to attend. I asked how much the tickets were and how many were for sale. I was told $150 and 24 tickets were available, one had been sold. I said I would love to come, and I will have 24 tickets, please.

So, I invited Rodney Croome and a couple of activists, and the rest were PFLAG parents. Additionally, I got as many parents as possible to write their stories. So, when the Attorney General left the lunch, he would be overwhelmed with the impact of the parents and the emotion.

I remember one parent said, “my son could marry his aunt or his female cousin, but he can’t marry the person he loves”. Initially, Mr. McClelland contradicted this statement, but the 25th guest at the table was the President of the Law Society and he let Mr. McClelland know that the statement was indeed, correct.

A second article on this topic can be viewed here.

Parents Bus Trip to Canberra

Another campaign was taking a bus load of parents from Sydney out to Canberra and then do the rounds of parliament house. Initially, I was told by one of George Brandis’s (the Federal Attorney General at the time) advisers that he would get meetings with the parents and their MP. However, when I went to him with the parents’ names and MPs names, he got cold feet and refused. Luckily, an adviser for a Greens’ MP was very happy to help and got several meetings with MPs for parents.

I had sent out the message nationally to PFLAG parents about the bus trip and so I decided I would make the most of their presence in Parliament House. I decided to walk them through parliament and let friendly MPs know the parents were there. Glen Lazarus was especially friendly; he went to the public coffee shop where we were all based to say hello and reassure them that equality was coming for their children.

At other times, because I had a parliamentary pass, I could go anywhere in the building. I could wander freely so I took 10 parents at a time and walked them around the halls of parliament, saying hello to the MPs we met along the way. Some said hello, others looked nervous, as if I was going to make them talk to the group I had with me.

The couple of days were very successful. They all got to talk to MPs even if not their own. I had them making videos with strong messages to the PM. These were sent to the PM and their own MP, plus put onto the PFLAG website.

The night we arrived we all went out to dinner to a popular restaurant of the MPs. I noticed quite a few Liberal MPs already there. So, I decided that I would welcome the parents to Canberra. I sent a quiet message to everyone, letting them know that when I stood up, they were all to stop talking, which they did.

I then proceeded to welcome them and tell them what a surprise many of the MPs would get when we arrived at Parliament House the next day. And, of course, discussed a little bit about marriage equality. I did this deliberately, because I knew that every Liberal MP would know we were on the way, thanks to the MPs sitting eating their dinner, before the bus left the apartment block next morning, which is what I wanted.