LGBTQI community connection and information
Rainbow Territory is holding a strategy and vision workshop 10am-2pm Saturday 9th May.
This is a very important workshop for Rainbow Territory. Rainbow Territory aims to develop a safer, fairer and a more inclusive Northern Territory. If you want to become more active in 2015, please join this workshop.
More details will be provided in the lead up to the workshop. If you have any questions or want more information please email lgbtqi2014nt@gmail.com with Strategy Workshop as the subject line.
Rainbow Territory is having a community stall at the Seabreeze festival in Nightcliff, in the Community Village area. Please drop by to say hi, have a chat, and meet other community members. If you would like to volunteer to help out on the day with Rainbow Territory please email outnt@outnt.info with the subject line Seabreeze festival. The stall is running from 2pm to sunset.
More information on what is happening at the stall will be posted soon, so keep an eye out.
Some Rainbow Territory members are meeting for breakfast after the DIY Rainbow event in Palmerston. They are heading to the Library Cafe, and welcome others to join.
Bring some money to pay for your breakfast or coffee.
The promise of cake was the only way to get people to turn up on a Saturday to talk about processes. On Saturday the 21st of February, close to 15 Rainbow Territorians met at NTAHC Darwin to discuss decision-making processes within the group.
The group analysed a range of decision making models including consensus, majority and delegation, and finally formalised a model for distribution to the broader Rainbow Territory network for feedback. The morning was highly productive and enjoyable, with a contingent of attendees continuing the good times at a local watering hole after the formal conclusion of the meeting.
The next major workshop for Rainbow Territory will be the vision and strategy workshop. This will set Rainbow Territory’s agenda for 2015 and beyond. For more information on how to get involved please email Rainbow Territory.
NICOLE CRIDLAND, THE DAILY TELEGRAPH, MARCH 07, 2015
Extract from NT Hansard, 18 Februrary 2015
Mr McCARTHY to TREASURER
Treasurer, last week you denied you had lost the Treasurer’s job for making homophobic slurs. When you resigned late last year the Chief Minister said,
I want to make sure that Territorians know they have a government who stands for all and will provide leadership on what those community expectations are.
Our gay, lesbian, and transgender community has publicly called on you to apologise. Will you now do the right thing and apologise publicly for those appalling comments, acknowledge that your comments were offensive, and affirm that you value and respect all Territorians regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, can I say straight up that I am not a homophobe at all. I am not going to discuss what has occurred in the past. I think that is in the past. My job at the moment is to be Treasurer of the Northern Territory. I am very keen to see that Northern Territory gets on to a firm financial footing, as was committed to a couple of years ago by the Chief Minister. We said we would balance the books by 2017-18. That is my focus, member for Barkly. That is what I am focused on and at this point in time I can tell you I am working away already on this year’s budget.
This budget will be – I can give you some heads up – it will be another belt-tightening budget. We said two years ago that we would not be doing slash and burn budgets. We said we would not be sacking public servants and the like. I know that Labor made a big deal of that at the time. They said that thousands and thousands of jobs would disappear. The reality is – as I think the Attorney-General said yesterday, or the Minister for Public Employment said yesterday – that we have the same amount of public servants now as we did back in 2012 when we came to government. The reality is that we are finding efficiencies within the public service. We are finding savings within the public service without laying off staff.
Ms MOSS: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The question was actually about whether or not you would be issuing an apology and it was not to do with this year’s budget.
Madam SPEAKER: The minister does have a couple of minutes to answer the question, but if you can get to the point.
Mr TOLLNER: Madam Speaker, I answered that. I said I would not be dwelling on the past and the fact is I am not dwelling on the past, I am telling the member for Barkly what I am dwelling on and that is making sure that the books of the Northern Territory are balanced by 2017-18; the government is on track to do that. This next budget will again be another responsible budget. We will continue to find savings that we need in order to reduce Labor’s projected $5.5bn debt.
Mr McCARTHY: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. I thank the Treasurer for a lecture on Treasury, but it is quite obvious that he is not prepared to apologise to the gay, lesbian, or transgender community on this matter.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Barkly, please be seated.
Mr TOLLNER: Madam Speaker, as I said, in answer to the member for Barkly; we are not getting into the gutter; we are not talking about ourselves. I think the Chief Minister made that point adequately over the last couple of days. We are focused on the good government of the Northern Territory and that is absolutely what I am focused on …
Mr Barkly interjecting.
Mr TOLLNER: … I think that is what Territorians want to know about. I have read the tea leaves myself; I have realised that I have probably had a couple of run in’s with my friends from the NT News. I have put that behind me; let bygones be bygones. My focus now, member for Barkly, and to everybody in the Chamber, is the good government of the Northern Territory.
Link to Hansard http://notes.nt.gov.au/lant/hansard/hansardd.nsf/WebFullTextTranscript/C18ED3F9146C78A669257DF00041B528?opendocument
As a new organisation Rainbow Territory is developing its approach to working together as a group. To assist this we are holding a workshop to determine the decision making processes, and other key processes for how we function as an organisation.
If you are interested in being part of Rainbow Territory in an ongoing way in 2015 this will be a good workshop to attend to provide some input. It will be followed by a well earned social activity.
Other workshops to be held once the process workshop is completed will be a strategy and objectives workshop. More details to follow on this. For more information please contact Rainbow Territory.
Location may change, so check back here closer to the date.
An advocacy group is calling on Minister David Tollner to publicly apologise following homophobic comments he made in August. Rainbow Territory, an NT community group advocating for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer people, said the comments contributed to the disproportionate levels of mental health issues, discrimination and harassment the LGBTIQ community experienced. Mr Tollner took leave in April but was reinstated as treasurer this week. Rainbow Territory’s Jane Black has called on the Giles government to affirm its respect for LGBTIQ citizens. “When government leaders make homophobic or other disrespectful remarks..its creates the perception that such comments are acceptable. This is not good enough” she said.
Rainbow Territory*: Our community matters
Friday, 13 February 2015, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Darwin, Northern Territory
In August 2014, David Tollner, who at the time was Deputy Chief Minister, made homophobic comments which were widely reported in Northern Territory and national media. Mr Tollner has recently been appointed as Treasurer, despite his failure to apologise publically for the comments. This week he stated he did not make the remarks.
Rainbow Territory spokesperson Jane Black: “Rainbow Territory is speaking out because our community matters. Homophobic comments such as those made by Mr Tollner contribute to the disproportionate levels of mental health issues, discrimination and harassment that the LGBTIQ community experience. Homophobia is real and alive in the Territory today.”
“When government leaders make homophobic or other disrespectful remarks about individuals or groups, it creates the perception that such comments are acceptable. This is not good enough”.
Ms Black: “All community members have a responsibility to treat others with respect and dignity. The community expects our elected representatives to demonstrate leadership in this regard.”
Rainbow Territory considers it inappropriate to have people with such views in positions of leadership and authority within the NT Government.
The Chief Minister, Adam Giles, made reference to the comments of Mr Tollner in an article published in the NT News on 21 August 2014, stating “perceptions become reality in politics and I want to make sure that Territorians know they have a Government who stands for all and will provide leadership on what those community expectations are.”
Rainbow Territory calls on the Giles Government to make a statement affirming its respect for LGBTIQ citizens and its commitment to non-discriminatory government.
Further, the group calls on Mr Tollner to publically apologise and acknowledge the harm done by the comments he made in August 2014.
* Rainbow Territory is a Northern Territory community group that advocates for the human rights of Northern Territorians who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (‘LGBTIQ’).
MEDIA CONTACT:
Jane Black: 0406 186 382
About Rainbow Territory: http://www.outnt.info/rainbowterritory/
GLAAD Media Reference Guide: http://www.glaad.org/publications/reference
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Telephone: 08 8928 6500, Email: Chief.Minister@nt.gov.au
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As a new organisation Rainbow Territory is developing its approach to working together as a group. To assist this we are holding a workshop to determine the decision making processes, and other key processes for how we function as an organisation.
If you are interested in being part of Rainbow Territory in an ongoing way in 2015 this will be a good workshop to attend to provide some input. It will be followed by a well earned social activity.
Rainbow Territory has had a busy few months since forming in September 2014:
On Tuesday the 21st January, the first Rainbow Territory meeting for 2015 was held. At this meeting we discussed the roll out of the Safe Schools Coalition, the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Intersex Consultation, and the importance of governance and strategy.
The coming months are an exciting time for Rainbow Territory as we seek to formalise our structure and identify our priorities for this year. If you would like to be involved, please attend one of our fortnightly meetings. See upcoming meeting dates here. All welcome!
A group artwork by Rainbow Territory members and others won the People’s Choice award at the Darwin Community Legal Service ‘Rights on Show’ exhibition. This queer themed artwork responded to homophobic comments by former Deputy Chief Minister Dave Tollner and broader homophobia in society.