❓ The Premier avoids directly answering the question about reconciling his position with the Attorney General's statement, instead launching into a rhetorical attack on the opposition regarding their stance on equality and democratic principles.
AnsweredQoN 303Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I have a supplementary question. How does the Premier reconcile his answer with the statement by his Attorney General on 1 February that “It’s time to put up or shut up and let the matter be decided once and for all by the court”? Dr G.I. GALLOP
AnswerView source ↗
Opposition members are on the beach. The waves are coming in and they are trying to stop them. They know that this is a principle that should be established in our law. They know that every person who votes should be accorded equal dignity. They know that the principle embodies the highest traditions of our democratic system. However, they do not have the imagination or the wisdom to operate at a higher level than that of crude self-interest. On this occasion, the Leader of the Opposition understands that there is a problem with his party’s position. That is why he does not want to front on this issue. The Leader of the Opposition knows that this is a good principle. He has said so on many occasions. Instead, he is getting the shadow Attorney General and the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party to front on this issue. The time has come for Western Australia to get up to date. It has been a long and difficult process for our Government, but we have established proper laws respecting the equality of all our citizens in relation to their sexuality and we are establishing equality for those in Western Australia who are in de facto relationships. We are establishing laws in Western Australia that reflect our contemporary society and the way it operates. As the member for Kimberley said when we recently debated this issue, people in rural and regional Western Australia do not want the artificial hand that the opposition parties are pretending to give them to defend their interest. It undermines their dignity.
Dr G.I. GALLOP replied: Opposition members are on the beach. The waves are coming in and they are trying to stop them. They know that this is a principle that should be established in our law. They know that every person who votes should be accorded equal dignity. They know that the principle embodies the highest traditions of our democratic system. However, they do not have the imagination or the wisdom to operate at a higher level than that of crude self-interest. On this occasion, the Leader of the Opposition understands that there is a problem with his party’s position. That is why he does not want to front on this issue. The Leader of the Opposition knows that this is a good principle. He has said so on many occasions. Instead, he is getting the shadow Attorney General and the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party to front on this issue. The time has come for Western Australia to get up to date. It has been a long and difficult process for our Government, but we have established proper laws respecting the equality of all our citizens in relation to their sexuality and we are establishing equality for those in Western Australia who are in de facto relationships. We are establishing laws in Western Australia that reflect our contemporary society and the way it operates. As the member for Kimberley said when we recently debated this issue, people in rural and regional Western Australia do not want the artificial hand that the opposition parties are pretending to give them to defend their interest. It undermines their dignity.
Opposition members are on the beach. The waves are coming in and they are trying to stop them. They know that this is a principle that should be established in our law. They know that every person who votes should be accorded equal dignity. They know that the principle embodies the highest traditions of our democratic system. However, they do not have the imagination or the wisdom to operate at a higher level than that of crude self-interest. On this occasion, the Leader of the Opposition understands that there is a problem with his party’s position. That is why he does not want to front on this issue. The Leader of the Opposition knows that this is a good principle. He has said so on many occasions. Instead, he is getting the shadow Attorney General and the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party to front on this issue. The time has come for Western Australia to get up to date. It has been a long and difficult process for our Government, but we have established proper laws respecting the equality of all our citizens in relation to their sexuality and we are establishing equality for those in Western Australia who are in de facto relationships. We are establishing laws in Western Australia that reflect our contemporary society and the way it operates. As the member for Kimberley said when we recently debated this issue, people in rural and regional Western Australia do not want the artificial hand that the opposition parties are pretending to give them to defend their interest. It undermines their dignity.
Dr G.I. GALLOP replied: Opposition members are on the beach. The waves are coming in and they are trying to stop them. They know that this is a principle that should be established in our law. They know that every person who votes should be accorded equal dignity. They know that the principle embodies the highest traditions of our democratic system. However, they do not have the imagination or the wisdom to operate at a higher level than that of crude self-interest. On this occasion, the Leader of the Opposition understands that there is a problem with his party’s position. That is why he does not want to front on this issue. The Leader of the Opposition knows that this is a good principle. He has said so on many occasions. Instead, he is getting the shadow Attorney General and the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party to front on this issue. The time has come for Western Australia to get up to date. It has been a long and difficult process for our Government, but we have established proper laws respecting the equality of all our citizens in relation to their sexuality and we are establishing equality for those in Western Australia who are in de facto relationships. We are establishing laws in Western Australia that reflect our contemporary society and the way it operates. As the member for Kimberley said when we recently debated this issue, people in rural and regional Western Australia do not want the artificial hand that the opposition parties are pretending to give them to defend their interest. It undermines their dignity.
Opposition members are on the beach. The waves are coming in and they are trying to stop them. They know that this is a principle that should be established in our law. They know that every person who votes should be accorded equal dignity. They know that the principle embodies the highest traditions of our democratic system. However, they do not have the imagination or the wisdom to operate at a higher level than that of crude self-interest. On this occasion, the Leader of the Opposition understands that there is a problem with his party’s position. That is why he does not want to front on this issue. The Leader of the Opposition knows that this is a good principle. He has said so on many occasions. Instead, he is getting the shadow Attorney General and the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party to front on this issue. The time has come for Western Australia to get up to date. It has been a long and difficult process for our Government, but we have established proper laws respecting the equality of all our citizens in relation to their sexuality and we are establishing equality for those in Western Australia who are in de facto relationships. We are establishing laws in Western Australia that reflect our contemporary society and the way it operates. As the member for Kimberley said when we recently debated this issue, people in rural and regional Western Australia do not want the artificial hand that the opposition parties are pretending to give them to defend their interest. It undermines their dignity.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.