Labor MP calls for rethink on exclusion of LGBT question
Labor MP Josh Burns has broken ranks with his government calling for gender and sexuality questions to be included in the next census. LGBT groups have been left shocked and frustrated by the decision, saying they should be counted, and the data is crucial for providing support and services to the community.
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00:00The Census is an important tool to be able to collect data and data feeds better government
00:06decision-making. And I think in order to ensure that people are included in that data, we
00:13should be asking questions to reflect the depth and breadth of the Australian community.
00:17And one of the things that I'm so proud of is to be a representative where we have such
00:22a large LGBTIQ community. And I don't want to exclude them. I mean, I want to include
00:26them. I think it's really important that people in Australia are welcomed and are included
00:31in the way in which government operates and government is there for all Australians.
00:35Obviously we've seen really destructive campaigns run against minority communities and unfortunately
00:41the LGBTIQ community seems to be at the forefront of it often. I don't have any place for that
00:48sort of divisive politics. We saw it, frankly, we saw it during the marriage equality debate,
00:52we saw it during Scott Morrison's religious discrimination debate, where people tried
00:56to twist issues that should have been about treating people with respect and not allowing
01:01for discrimination and twisting it into really nasty and personal attacks against people.
01:06So I think, Greg, that obviously we don't want to see people being used as a political
01:17football and there are always going to be bad faith actors who are trying to use these
01:22issues to divide people and to try and use minority communities as some sort of political
01:29tool. But I also think that in government we can show strength and we can show courage
01:34and we can include people in the way in which we govern this country and that is what the
01:39Labor Party, that I am proud to be a part of, does when we are at our best.