Homosexual bill polls at loggerheads

Press, 3 July 1985, Page 31

Homosexual bill polls at loggerheads

PA Auckland The Leader of the Opposition, Mr McLay, says he will still vote against the Homosexual Law Reform Bill in spite of the findings of a Heylen poll released on Monday. The survey shows that most of Mr McLay’s Birkenhead constituents support homosexual acts between consenting adults in private. Campaign for Equality paid the Heylen Research Centre $2OOO to poll 500 people in Mr McLay’s electorate after Mr McLay conducted his own survey in April. Of those polled by Heylen, 47.8 per cent said they supported homosexual acts between consenting adults in private, and 43 per cent said they objected. To questions on the age of consent, 20 per cent answered that it should be 16 years or younger, 25.8 per cent said between 17 and 20, and 10 per cent said it should be 21 or older. Of the rest, 1.7 per cent said homosexuality should be allowed but were uncertain about age, 38.3 per cent said homosexuality should not be allowed at any age, and 4.6 per cent did not know. The total in favour of

homosexuality at some age was 56 per cent (57.1 per cent supported it in a nationwide “Eye Witness News”-Heylen poll on April 20). The poll conflicts with Mr McLay’s, which showed more than 60 per cent of 1995 people in his constituency opposing homosexual law reform. Both sides yesterday claimed their figures were accurate reflections of the community’s feeling towards the bill. A Campaign for Equality spokesman, Mr Peter Wall, said Mr McLay’s poll was inaccurate, unprofessional and invalid. Mr McLay strongly defended his poll yesterday and said it was conducted after consultation with professional pollsters. Two thousand people were selected at random from the Birkenhead electoral roll and sent replypaid questionnaires by mail. His questionnaire asked three questions dealing with opposition to the bill and support for changing the age of consent to 16 or 20. Mr McLay said the Heylen questions were different and therefore the results obviously would contrast with his findings.