Homosexual law bill 'could wreck’ chances in Timaru

Press, 27 May 1985, Page 2

Homosexual law bill 'could wreck’ chances in Timaru

PA Palmerston North The homosexual law reform issue could wreck the Government’s chances in the Timaru by-election next month, a Labour Party conference was told in Palmerston North at the week-end. The Labour member of Parliament for Napier, Mr Geoff Braybrooke, a leading opponent of Ms Fran Wilde’s reform bill, said the move was the “kiss of death in a provincial town.” He was speaking to two remits on the issue at the party’s Central Districts

regional conference at Massey University on Saturday. One called on the Government to amend the Human Rights Commission Act to outlaw discrimination on the ground of a person’s sexual orientation. The second urged the Government to change the Crimes Act so that sex acts between consenting males over 16 were no longer illegal. “These remits will not change public opinion in New Zealand,” Mr Braybrooke said. “We had a poll in Napier

which showed 74 per cent of people against any change and it won’t do (Labour candidate) Jan Walker any good in Timaru.” Mr Braybrooke unsuccessfully sought conference support for a Royal commission and a referendum on the issue. The conference of about 100 delegates voted overwhelmingly in favour of both remits. Mr Braybrooke clashed with the member of Parliament for Horowhenua, Mrs Annette King, over the Ministry of Defence base at Tangimoana. Mrs King had supported a

remit calling for an investigation into the base and asking that proposed data from the base should not be sent to the nuclear Powers. Mr Braybrooke said that both the Prime Minister, Mr Lange, and the Minister of Defence, Mr O’Flynn, had given assurances that the base did not help any other country. The remit was carried. The conference also narrowly carried a remit calling on the Government to establish a peace tax but rejected a move seeking research into surviving a nuclear winter.