Disappointed by the government-commissioned review into anti-bullying program Safe Schools, far-right conservative MP George Christensen fell back on one of the oldest tricks in the homophobic playbook: an attempt to conflate homosexuality with paedophilia.
On Tuesday night, a group of about 30 Coalition backbench MPs were given a briefing from Professor Bill Louden, the man Education Minister Simon Birmingham appointed to review the Safe Schools Coalition (SSC) program.
Despite a month of campaigning from The Australian and more than a year of attacks from fringe religious groups such as the Australian Christian Lobby, the review is reported to have suggested very few changes to the program.
Birmingham has yet to release the report publicly, but it is expected to be released with a government response this week. But many Coalition MPs, including Christensen, were unhappy with the positive review of the program.
Some called for Birmingham to suspend funding to the program or resign, and Christensen himself said he was getting a majority of backbenchers to sign a petition calling for a parliamentary review into the program.
Using parliamentary privilege, and then again on Sky News, Christensen accused Gary Dowsett, a professor from La Trobe University, where the Safe Schools program was created, of being a “long-time advocate of intergenerational sex, otherwise known as paedophilia”, based on a 1982 article he wrote in the journal Gay Information. Dowsett has refused to comment on Christensen’s comments.
But Dowsett had nothing to do with the the Safe Schools Coalition, which was was developed by Gay and Lesbian Health Victoria. Although he is assistant director of La Trobe’s Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health & Society, out of which SSC operates, he has never been involved in the program. According to the centre’s website, the ARCSHS is involved in more than 50 research programs on a wide range of sexual health issues, including Safe Schools. Some of the research is on hepatitis, rapid STI-testing services and street harassment. One project Dowsett has worked on is research on the mental and sexual health recovery for men who have had prostate cancer.
The Safe Schools program is headed up by Roz Ward, the main subject of attacks from The Australian and Coalition MPs in the last month.
The closest link Dowsett appears to have to the program is signing a petition in support of the program following the attacks on it.
On Radio National yesterday afternoon, Christensen also accused the program of linking children to chat sites with “50-year-old men lurking”, and argued that education on gender and sexuality issues should be left to parents. He claimed the program was “brainwashing” and something from “communist Russia”. Russia currently has strong laws against any education related to homosexuality.
Since the review was launched by the government, 32 more schools have joined the program, and just one has pulled out, leaving the program available at 526 schools around Australia.
25 thoughts on “George Christensen busts out spectre of paedos in Safe Schools war”
klewso
March 17, 2016 at 2:07 pmWho does George Skywhale’s ‘research’ for him?
Or is that the problem?
[Actual research would uncover facts that would embarrass and contradict the barrow he and his cohort is pushing, on behalf of their sponsors?]
So there is none?
I’m waiting for him to quote Abetz on how “abortion can lead to breast cancer”?
Graeski
March 17, 2016 at 2:10 pmI don’t get what’s driving this. We know that conservative MPs are only motivated by power and money. I can’t see much money being involved here. That only leaves power.
Are they trying to shore up support from conservative voters in expectation of an early election?
Or are they trying to whip up homophobia in the general population in anticipation of the marriage equality plebiscite?
jmendelssohn
March 17, 2016 at 2:36 pmGraeski: more likely they’re really scared homosexuality is “catching” and are scared their own secret yearnings might one day drag them out of the closet.
Yclept
March 17, 2016 at 6:19 pmSo when will George call for the dismantling of the Catholic Church. Gotta stop the paedos you know.
Venise Alstergren
March 17, 2016 at 6:51 pmNo wonder this tub of lard is so screwed up about sex. Carrying all that extraneous weight probably renders him incapable.
Venise Alstergren
March 17, 2016 at 6:57 pmKLEWSO: My comment must have been awful-it was along the same line as your comment-it didn’t get past the printed version.
In their case homosexuality is the cause of their sexual dictates.
Look at Christensen. When was the last time he had sex?
mike westerman
March 17, 2016 at 7:26 pmThink about it: God appoints rulers to rule over us, God gives men authority over women, God gives masters authority over slaves, and the along come some poofters to fuck it all up! How can the world keep spinning if we all don’t stay in our slots?
Never even try to understand why the minds of Conservatives are so fearful of change: it’s an evolutionary fuse fry that can’t be fixed.
AR
March 17, 2016 at 8:12 pmVA – depends with whom. And … how?
mike westerman
March 17, 2016 at 8:43 pmHeh, his sexuality and obesity are not the point! It’s the crass workings of his mind, rooted in his fear of a godless world, or worse a world where Allah is the true god, and all men that love men are paedophiles, all environmentalists are eco-nazis, anyone calling for less aggression and more co-operation is a PC bigot. Spend 5 minutes on his FB site and you’ll realise his cognitive dissonance leaves you vibrating.
PDGFD1
March 17, 2016 at 11:21 pmGraeski @2:
“I don’t get what’s driving this. We know that conservative MPs are only motivated by power and money. I can’t see much money being involved here. That only leaves power.”
Got it in one. These willfully-ignorant people want to literally take over government.
They long to drag everyone back to a time when could sanctimoniously lecture everyone as to how we should live our lives.
Worse – they now want to re-insert their personally-held beliefs into the LAWS of the land.
Once upon a time, when they lacked the resources to start their own party, they sought a home.
The Liberal and National parties gave them one… because they share their economic direction with these gravel-brained neanderthals.
But, Fruitcake Faction have taken over the LNP.
To the detriment of all in my view.
Yes.. it’s about power.