A significant rift seems to be developing between Jim Wallace’s Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) and other Australian Religious Right groups over the issue of same-sex relationships.

In general, organisations like these are flatly opposed to any extension of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) rights. If we look at the past 40 years, it can fairly be said that if the Festival of Light and its ideological allies (especially the old ‘Tas Alert’ group) had had their way, no GLBT rights would exist and certain specific activities would still be punishable by law. Indeed, the situation as regards lesbian relationships would actually be worse than it was in the 1960s.

Back in 2003, the ACL was feverishly opposing the Tasmanian Relationships Bills, principally because they would provide adoption rights for gays and lesbians. But I noticed that an odd little sentence had crept into one of the ACL’s statements of policy on the issue: ‘…[W]e support registration [of G&L relationships] on the basis that it shows commitment …‘ (ACL National Newsletter, July 2003, 7) I didn’t pay much heed at the time as the sound and fury centred on the adoption rights issue.

Attention has now focused on ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope’s intention to extend G&L rights there. On 4 April 2006, the ACL ‘through its executive chairman Jim Wallace‘ argued that if the ACT wanted to give rights to homosexual couples, ‘then it should pursue the legislation which Tasmania enacted‘:

Mr Stanhope could have easily established a same sex register as currently exists in Tasmania, which satisfied a same sex couple’s desire to be formally recognised but does not conflict with Federal marriage laws. (Christian Today, April 3, 2006)

Two days later, the following email was sent by Melbourne anti-GLBT rights group ‘Salt Shakers’ to its members:

No Compromise! Now is not the time to compromise on accepting any sort of formal recognition for homosexual relationships in the ACT. (Salt Shakers E-News, 6 Apr. 2006)

Without mentioning Wallace or the ACL by name, Salt Shakers slammed the Wallace viewpoint in chapter and verse:

Tasmania introduced a ‘relationships register’ in 2004, giving many of the same relationship rights as mentioned in the ACT Bill. A ‘civil union’ or a ‘relationship register’ are very similar …

We have a page on our website with articles and statistics on why same sex ‘marriage’ and ‘civil unions’ and ‘relationship registers’ are all undesirable for society. They give a message to young people that homosexuality is ‘normal’ and encourage the acceptance of these relationships and they will all cause the breakdown of marriage and family.

On 1 May, Wallace (now ‘Managing Director’ of the ACL) issued a terse statement:

… ACL maintains its call for the removal of the [ACT] Civil Union Bill and its replacement with a registration model similar to Tasmania’s. This would recognise same sex relationships and caring relationships but is clearly not equated with marriage. (ACL media release, 1 May 2006)

Wallace’s problem is that he is occasionally capable of entertaining compromise positions, a key talent in politics but a deadly menace as far as true fundamentalists like the Salt Shakers or Festival of Light Australia are concerned. The latter groups see everything in apocalyptic terms - God or Satan, black or white, good or evil. Sorry, Jim, no room for compromise.

Filed in: Christian Right, Sexuality