Date: Tue, 7 Nov 1995 21:48:36 +1100 (EST) From: leto@werple.mira.net.au (Brendon Wickham) Subject: (Australia) Brother Sister News - 2/11/95 BROTHER SISTER - QUEER NEWS FROM DOWNUNDER Issue 92 Including: 1. Call for anti-violence funding 2. Federal Government enshrines immigrations laws 3. JOY-FM under attack 4. Lesbian lover banned for overseas student This and previous postings are archived for the QRD. Point your URL to http://werple.mira.net.au/~leto/news/index - or go through the Pacific Region of the QRD at http://www.qrd.org/qrd/world/pacific/ =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ CALL FOR VIOLENCE FUNDING *The First National Conference on Violence Against Gay Men and Lesbians concluded on Saturday, with calls for government funded anti-violence projects to be established in each state and territory.* The two-day Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) sponsored event was held in Sydney and speech by the Federal Minister for Justice, Duncan Kerr. Workshops held over the two days covered topics including registering hate crime, lesbian domestic violence, violence in schools, hate-related murders of gay men, youth suicide and HIV-related violence. In his opening address to the conference, Kerr said: "As the Federal Justice Minister I am acutely aware of the work ahead of all Australian governments before we can claim that justice is as available to gays and lesbians as it is to some others in our community ... our society has shown time and time again that it can turn a blind eye to criminal violence by making the victim legally and socially invisible." "The Commonwealth Government won't waiver in its commitment to prevent and deal effectively with violence against all Australians, including gays and lesbians, and to provide a leading role in Commonwealth/State initiatives in the area," he said. Director of the AIC, Dr Adam Graycar, said violence against gay men and lesbians "was an important subject to tackle, especially in light of the Anti-Violence Project winning [the Australian Heads of Government] Violence Prevention Award last year." Graycar said the AIC's role was to conduct "policy-oriented research and provide policy-oriented information" to the Federal Government, and that it would need to assess the outcomes of the first conference before committing itself to holding another. Whelan won praise with three key announcements in his speech on the second day, including the establishment of the Gay and Lesbian Police Employees Network (GALPEN), which he said would improve relations with the wider community by fostering an understanding of lesbian and gay issues within police ranks. The ten recommendations and resolutions produced from the conference were: * The establishment of a national clearing house for information generated by conferences on gay and lesbian themes; possibly the ACLGR * A detailed study of the motivation of men aged 16-24, the group most likely to perpetrate violence both against orders and against themselves (ie suicide). * Request the Federal Attorney-General and Justice Minister's offices to collect national statistics on anti-lesbian and gay hate crimes * Call for the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition to voice their support for a national gay and lesbian anti-violence program and accompanying legislation * Support for Paul Whelan in his commitment to raise the issue of violence against lesbians and gays at the Police Ministers Conference in November * Call for Federal and State Education, Health and Community Services Ministers to establish a national curriculum with a commitment to eliminating homophobia from schools * Draw to the attention of State and Federal Ministers their responsibilities to provide for the safety lesbian and gay citizens through integrated policies, based on adequate data and supported by Anti-Discrimination and Equal Opportunities bodies * Eliminate homophobia in the provision of public services * Provide adequate funding to gay and lesbian community support groups * Appoint gay and lesbian advisers to all levels of government departments Ben Widdicombe FEDS SAFEGUARD SPONSOR LAWS *The Federal Government has moved to enshrine gay immigration law, providing a degree of protection against any backlash should the Coalition Parties win the next election.* In 1989 the ALP introduced the special 'Interdependency' category allowing Australian residents to sponsor their same sex partners into the country. However the final stage of such applications required approval from the Minister for Immigration. Under the new rules introduced on Wednesday by the Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs, Sen Nick Bolkus, applicants fulfilling the criteria will now automatically have their application approved. This latest change, combined with changes to procedures introduced in June, sees gay and straight relationships effectively treated the same under Immigration law. "I am satisfied that the interdependency regulation implementation process has been smooth and that these provisions are operating as intended," Bolkus said in a letter to the lobby group Gay and Lesbian Immigration Task Force. "As a consequence I have decided to delegate decision making for interdependency cases to departmental decision makers at overseas posts and in regional office in Australia. "You can be assured that interdependency applications will continue to be handled sensitively and that processing time frames will be in line with those for spouse and de facto visa applications," he said. The Task Force has for some time expressed its concerns over Ministerial discretion. "Our view is that a Coalition Government will not support gay and lesbian issues as can be seen by their comments about 'family values'", a GLITF spokesperson told Brother Sister. "If the decisions are made by Department officers rather than a Coalition Minister, maybe this would prevent political interference in considering migration applications for gays and lesbians wanting to sponsor their partners from overseas." The spokesperson said the change would make it more difficult for a conservative Minister to intervene, but "if a Coalition Government was elected there would be nothing to prevent them from repealing the Interdependency provisions altogether". The change in procedure is also expected to lead to quicker processing times as decisions can be made at the overseas post or at the regional office without having to be sent to the Minister. Bill Calder JOY-FM UNDER ATTACK *A petition has begun to circulate in Melbourne calling for a review of gay radio station JOY-FM's license application.* An organisation calling itself the Gay and Lesbian Broadcasting Reform Group claim that they have already collected 200 signatures supporting their demands that JOY, Australia's first gay radio station, should have its license application reviewed because "it does not address the needs of the community". The station, which is now broadcasting on a temporary community licence, has applied for one of the permanent licences that will be granted to a handful of community stations next year. A reform group spokesperson, Lawrence Akers, a one-time JOY-FM presenter, explained to Brother Sister that the group is not out to close the radio station down. "We are not out to destroy or stop JOY-FM. We feel there is a need for gay and lesbian radio. But, it is needed to be done properly. Basically, we want to improve JOY." Akers claims that members of the reform group had tried to change the station's policies from within but had been squeezed out when they were deemed too controversial. The group's petition specifically targets the station for not representing the lesbian community and accuses Joy of being "divisive (and) alienating". JOY president, John Oliver, says the station is open to women. He also says that 50 per cent of new trainees, who responded to a recent advertisement seeking new presenters, were women. "We totally support the entire gay and lesbian community", Oliver says. "The ratio of men to women presenting shows may be uneven but a directive is going to be made to the programming committee for 40 per cent of shows to be lesbian relevant." Oliver criticised the reform group for attacking its own community: "JOY is a volunteer organisation and these people are knocking other people who give up their time to run this station." Andrew Mast LOVER BANNED FOR OVERSEAS' STUDENT *A lesbian currently residing in Australia on a study visa has not been allowed to bring her partner to this country, according to a Melbourne gay rights group.* John Davey, speaking for Gays and Lesbians Against Discrimination Inc., told Brother Sister that the woman, who cannot be named for fear of deportation back to her country of origin, came to his group seeking assistance in having her partner recognised as her de facto and being allowed to stay with her for the duration of her study visit. "If you are heterosexual and come to Australia to study it is fine to bring your partner", Davey said. "But, if you're gay the attitude from the government seems to be 'too bad'." The woman's partner is here on her own visitor's visa for a brief stay and will soon be heading back home. The couple were hoping that Australian immigration authorities would recognise their plight before they were forced to separate again. GLAD Inc have already begun lobbying the woman's local parliamentarians. "We already have MPs in her electorate making enquiries to the Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs. We will be seeking to have the law amended and, in the meantime, offer the couple as much community support as possible", Davey said. Steve Ingram, a spokesperson for the Minister of Immigration, Senator Nick Bolkus, said the current laws relating to study visas stand: "Same sex couples are not able to come in to Australia as a part of that visa." "We have had submissions from gay and lesbian community groups in regards to these laws," he added, "and these are being looked at." Changes to some of this country's immigration laws came into effect on July 3, allowing Australian gay and lesbian citizens with partners from overseas to be recognised as de factos with the same rights as heterosexual couples. Those reforms do not extend to gays and lesbians visiting here on all types of visas. Davey said that despite this country's push for anti- discrimination laws regarding gays and lesbians, this will not overturn all the homophobic legislation that still exists. "Anti-discrimination laws don't necessarily override the other heterosexist laws in existence. In NSW alone there are estimated to be 121 independent acts of Parliament yet amended. They discriminate in things like grants funding and wills. "The study visa regulations are just further examples of laws which remain unaffected even with the introduction of anti- discrimination legislation," he said. Andrew Mast =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ BOTTOM LINE ELDERLY STILL WANT SEX A recent La Trobe University survey found that two out of three people over the age of 65 believe sex is important to them. However the same proportion believes society disapproves of them showing an interest. Fifteen per cent strongly disagreed with the statement "homosexuality is wrong". =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Brother Sister is a fortnightly newspaper published in Melbourne, VIC and Brisbane, QLD, Australia. I have selected the main news stories as well as items of interest. Overseas media who utilise any or all of the above material please credit Brother Sister as your source (and by-line if it is listed). Thank you. Brendon Wickham