Hansard debates

Ben CARROLL (Niddrie – Minister for Education, Minister for WorkSafe and the TAC) (20:59): I also rise to make a contribution on this motion. I think it was the ubiquitous catchcry once upon a time that libraries are for everyone. It is very clear that on this side of the chamber we do believe libraries are for everyone, no matter who you are, no matter what your background and no matter what your sexual orientation. It is hard to believe that as a nation we said yes to marriage equality and we have lived through a pandemic but that in the year 2025 our LGBTIQ+ Victorians, Australians, would face any sort of discrimination, harm or vilification.

I want to commend the contributions on this side of the chamber by the member for Werribee and the member for Hastings. The member for Hastings’ speech really took me back to his outstanding inaugural speech, where he discussed this very topic: how, at the end of the day, we are all human beings, and we must always remember that we are born equal and we should be treated equally. What is wrong with actually treating people for who they are and what they are? What is wrong with that? In a state that has a human rights charter – the first state to have one – we should address and treat people respectfully. Can I also commend the member for Bass, the member for Narre Warren South and my good friend the member for Wendouree for pointing out my role as the Minister for Education and that it all does begin with education. As a government that had a family violence royal commission, we said we needed to embed equality in our school system, which led to the Respectful Relationships program that has now been rolled out to thousands of schools right across our state. More than 2000 schools – Catholic, independent, Anglican and government – have signed up to Respectful Relationships.

It is about making sure that the more than one in 20 adult Victorians who identify as LGBTIQA+ are not ever discriminated against for who they are, they do not face stigma and they do not face any sorts of barriers. Because it is one thing to say libraries are for everyone, and it is another thing to actually put in place direct action. I commend the member for Macedon, the Leader of the House, and also the Minister for Equality for the work she has done in making an action plan in this important area of public policy. We do know that members of this community have been under siege. They have faced vilification, they have faced harassment, they have faced violence and they are on the front line of trying to make sure we are an educated society. The role of public libraries in our state and in our community is about enriching culture. It is about making sure that people of all backgrounds can come together. It might be to borrow a book; it might just be to meet and have a cup of tea. It might be for a drag story time, dare I say. What is wrong with celebrating diversity in one of the most important public institutions in the world, a public library?

As my friend the member for Williamstown so eloquently outlined, we must confront this issue. If you do let the hard right run, divide and do any more of the Trumpism, it will only lead to more division, more social isolation and more harm in society. We know the mental health stats and the suicide rates. This is a community that governments need to be focused on. An investment of just over $14,000 is a drop in the ocean. Can you believe that the other side would be focused on this? A $14,000 investment to support public libraries and make sure they have the right policies to support everyone, no matter their background and no matter who they are, to come and be able to be celebrated like any other human being, dare I say any other Victorian – it is incredible that they would even focus on this.

I do not have Mrs McArthur as an upper house member, or Mr Joe McCracken. As everyone in this chamber knows, I have listened to Mr McCracken on that podcast where he said they are waiting to cut everything when they get into office. We know where they will go. They will go straight to the most vulnerable members of the community first – those people with the quietest voices, the smallest voices. They will be targeted first. It is simply not on. That is why the progressive side of politics must stand up and make sure that that sort of behaviour – that action of trying to do a petition to stop the rainbow toolkit being rolled out – is condemned. You can see the speaking list on this side of the chamber – everyone is lined up to speak on this and celebrate Victoria’s diversity, because we know how important that is for our state. I think it is Minister Shing at the moment that is the Minister for Equality. Am I right in saying that? Is it Minister Shing?

Melissa Horne: No, it’s Vicki.

Ben CARROLL: It is Minister Ward, who I know has done such important work with this – with Minister Shing, I must say – in launching Pride in Our Future: Victoria’s LGBTIQA+ Strategy 2022–‍32. I think the libraries initiative was actually launched with the new member for Mulgrave too. It is such an important initiative, to have that vision from the Allan Labor government where everyone feels safe in a healthy community, where everyone has the dignity of human rights, where they are protected and where they can live wholly and freely and be themselves. I am very proud with my family and my young daughter that we do participate in the Pride march, that she has been able to see at such a young age the value of diversity and that she knows what a good human being is all about and that she will grow up in a world, I hope, where everybody, no matter who they are and no matter what their sexual orientation, their gender, their diversity, the colour of their skin, their bank balance or their postcode is celebrated for, as you said, Acting Speaker Mercurio, in your inaugural speech, being a fundamental human being and just a person. That is what we are dealing with – people.

We must never forget that words matter. There is that great Chinese proverb, which was actually sent to me recently in an email by a constituent, and I am going to read it out. I had never heard this proverb, but it is ‘Water and words – easy to pour, impossible to recover.’ If you think about that, they cannot retract what they have now done. They cannot retract the petition to try to get the rainbow toolkit stopped. It is now on the public record. Who stood up for the LGBTIQA+ community in a time of need is also on the public record – the progressive side of politics did. Who was prepared to make a stand and make a contribution? The progressive side of politics. This is now being seen for what it is, an attack on our most vulnerable from people that are elected members of Parliament and that should know better. They should value our institutions and not only value our institutions in our public libraries but value the people that work in them and value the people that attend them for support and attend them for companionship.

Like all my colleagues on this side of the chamber, I think we need to support our LGBTIQA+ librarians and support that community to ensure that they continue to stand tall in the face of adversity and derision and that they continue to stand strong and to know as they stand tall and as they stand strong that the Allan Labor government stands with them and that we will continue to fight and do everything we can to make sure they feel safe. As the education minister I am so committed to the Safe Schools initiative, which we saw that side of politics try to dirty up. We will continue to roll it out because we know it is evidence-based best practice and that it all starts with respect that starts in the classroom, and it starts with education and making sure everyone feels valued in what a special place Victoria is. I am so proud of the contributions that have been made on this side of the chamber. I do condemn the other side for their lack of love, commitment, support and kindness for our most vulnerable Victorians, and that is what society is all about. As the member for Williamstown so eloquently quoted the Prime Minister recently, ‘Let’s be a caring, compassionate society.’ Let us support all Victorians for who they are.