Discrimination Clause Voted Out Of Bill (Press, 17 April 1986)
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Summary: Discrimination Clause Voted Out Of Bill (Press, 17 April 1986)
On 16 April 1986, the New Zealand Parliament voted to reject the anti-discriminatory provisions of the Homosexual Law Reform Bill by a margin of 49 to 31. These provisions, which were part of Part II of the bill, aimed to amend the Human Rights Commission Act to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. Ms Fran Wilde, the bill's sponsor from the Labour Party representing Wellington Central, announced her intention to propose a salvage amendment to preserve certain aspects of the legislation. Her plan involves separating the first part of the bill, which legalises homosexuality between consenting adults aged 16 and older, from the rejected Part II.
The first part of the bill had passed during the committal stages prior to the Easter recess, but only by a narrow majority of five votes. At that time, 16 members of Parliament were absent, leading some to believe that the outcome might have been different had those members been present. Graeme Lee, a prominent opponent of the reform, estimated that the absence of those members could have potentially given the opposition a one-vote lead.
The rejection of Part II occurred after it had been modified and significantly weakened. These modifications had initially allowed for certain forms of discrimination against homosexuals, including in areas such as housing and employment within private homes, religious institutions, law enforcement, the military, and roles involving authority over individuals under 16. With Part II not being approved, the focus now shifts to the forthcoming third reading of the bill, which will determine the fate of Part I.
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