Tasmania has done a lot of things right in recent times, but its biggest mistake is Eric Abetz.
The staunchly conservative Liberal senator, who has somehow been in office continually since 1994, has repeatedly stood firmly in the way of socially progressive legislation, and made a number of baffling assertions, including his appearance on ‘The Project‘ where he linked abortion to breast cancer.
Unsurprisingly, this means he’s not the biggest fan of the LGBTQI community, and particularly their push for equal rights and marriage equality.
What is a little bit weird, however, is the fact that Abetz took the time during yesterday’s Senate Estimates hearing to grizzle about the presence of Rainbow Flags in Government buildings.
The flag, which we don’t need to remind you all represents LGBTQI+ people and their friends, family, and allies, has at times been displayed in the foyer of the Department of Finance in Canberra.
This has apparently baffled Abetz to the point of interrupting the estimates hearing to enquire about flag-displaying protocol in Government buildings.
“To cut to the chase, there was the rainbow flag on display in the lobby which, believe it or not, some people see as an activist flag for a particular cause in relation to an issue of whether or not we should change the legislation on marriage and some people of course support that cause, others don’t.”
Then there was this ripper of an insinuation that Marriage Alliance should be allowed to show their banner in Government buildings as well, inferring that the Rainbow flag represented little more than a fringe political group that exists solely to provide resistance to an agenda, rather than a unifying symbol for a global population of historically and increasingly marginalised people.
“If that is allowed, then one imagines that the Marriage Alliance banner should be flown equally.”
I mean, why would you allow that when the Australian flag already flies in Government buildings?
It gets better (or worse), though. Abetz then brought up a 2004 protest incident by insinuating that the Rainbow flag was the flag of a hostile nation that had declared war on Australia. Seriously.
“This particular flag, you will realise, is the flag of the Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands, that declared war on Australia and you Senator Cormann would understand they did the same as Prince Leonard of Hutt River Province and now this is their official flag.”
“Of course, it is the flag of a hostile nation if we are to believe them, having declared war on Australia. I dare say that wasn’t the reason it was flown…”
*sighs deeply, opens Wikipedia*
The Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands was established in 2004 on Australia’s uninhabited territory of the Coral Sea Islands off the coast of the Great Barrier Reef. The rainbow flag was planted in the islands in response to the Australian Government’s refusal to recognise same-sex marriage (sound familiar?). It is a micronation, but is not recognised as such by any Government authority in the world. On September 13 2004, they declared war on Australia.
The micronation has an emperor, Dale Parker Anderson. Currently, about 4 people live on the island system’s largest island. The island that the rainbow flag was planted on, Cato Island, is uninhabited.
That is why Senator Eric Abetz, whose great-uncle was a member of the Nazi SS who served 20 years in prison for war crimes for whatever that’s worth, objects to the flying of the Rainbow flag in Australian Government buildings.
This is his work. We, as taxpayers, are actively paying him to do shit like this.
But hey, at least you learned today there’s a gay island paradise nation within arm’s reach of the Australian shore. The more you know!
