Questions To State Body Possible Over ‘gay... (Press, 22 June 1985)
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Summary: Questions To State Body Possible Over ‘gay... (Press, 22 June 1985)
The State Services Commission may be summoned before Parliament's Statutes Revision Committee to address allegations of discrimination against homosexuals by the Security Intelligence Service (S.I.S.) and the Broadcasting Corporation. This inquiry follows specific claims related to the S.I.S.'s vetting processes for public servant security clearances, as well as an incident involving a man who was allegedly pressured to resign from the Broadcasting Corporation after appearing in a newspaper photograph of a homosexual rights demonstration. The Public Service Association (P.S.A.) highlighted these concerns in its submission regarding the Homosexual Law Reform Bill, arguing that the S.I.S. placed “disproportionate emphasis” on an individual’s sexual orientation when assessing potential security risks linked to blackmail. The committee is set to investigate these incidents, and if the claims are substantiated, they will seek justification from both the S.I.S. and the Broadcasting Corporation regarding their practices, which are presented as instances of workplace discrimination against homosexual individuals. Mr. Bill Dillon, the committee’s acting chairman and a member of the Labour Party representing Hamilton East, indicated that the State Services Commission should also present its perspective given its role as a State employer. While he has refrained from making any definitive judgements on the allegations, Dillon expressed his belief that the commission might suggest that sexual orientation should not factor into the hiring or placement decisions for public servants. The committee has been actively reviewing submissions related to the Homosexual Law Reform Bill, which aims to rectify legal barriers by decriminalising consensual sexual activities between male adults over the age of 16.
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