Beanland under fire in anti-discrimination row

Beanland under fire in anti-discrimination row

By Bill Mason

BRISBANE — Queensland attorney-general and justice minister Denver Beanland has accused the sacked head of the joint federal-state Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission, John Briton, of "orchestrating" a campaign to "misrepresent" the state government's plan to set up a new anti-discrimination commission by claiming it would not be "truly independent".

The new state commission proposal results from a funding row between the federal and state governments which has led to withdrawal of federal government participation in the existing commission.

Labor opposition justice spokesperson Matt Foley said on November 29 that Beanland's attack on Briton was " disgraceful and vitriolic". "People with complaints of discrimination against state government authorities such as schools, police or transport bodies will be obliged to lodge their complaints with a commission under the thumb of the state government, rather than a truly independent commission", Foley said.

The Anti-Racist Committee and the Community and Public Sector Union are sponsoring a picket outside the HREOC office at 27 Peel Street, South Brisbane, on December 6 at 4.30pm to protest the closure of the existing commission on December 9.
[For more information, phone 3254 0565 or 3871 1446.]

From GLW issue 257