M.P.s Change Minds On Reform—claim (Press, 23 April 1985)
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Summary: M.P.s Change Minds On Reform—claim (Press, 23 April 1985)
During a public meeting held at the Auckland Town Hall on 20 April 1985, Mr Norman Jones, a National member of Parliament for Invercargill, claimed that ten members of Parliament had changed their views on the Homosexual Law Reform Bill. This group included some who had previously voted in favour of the bill’s introduction as well as others who had been absent during the vote. The meeting was part of a national campaign led by Mr Jones opposing the reform, which seeks to decriminalise homosexual acts. The event faced disruptions from supporters of the bill, namely members of the Auckland Gay Task Force, who demonstrated outside the Town Hall, advising attendees not to enter or pay the $2 admission fee. Despite the protests, the meeting attracted an estimated 1200 attendees, including Mr Graeme Lee, the member for Hauraki, and three church ministers who also spoke against the reform. Mr Jones, who is actively campaigning against the bill, reported that he had collected 20,000 signatures on a petition within just three days of that week, and he anticipated that the total would reach 500,000 signatures in the coming days. The meeting underscored the growing tension surrounding the debate on homosexual law reform in New Zealand.
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