Politics – Page 2 – Aleph Melbourne

Aleph Melbourne launches 2022 Victorian State Election Voters Guide for LGBTIQ+ Equality

MEDIA RELEASE
13 NOVEMBER 2022

ALEPH MELBOURNE LAUNCHES 2022 VICTORIAN STATE ELECTION VOTERS GUIDE FOR LGBTIQ+ EQUALITY

Aleph Melbourne is proud to announce its 2022 Victorian State Election Voters Guide for LGBTIQ+ Equality.

The Voters Guide is designed to inform voters who want to select candidates who have comprehensively demonstrated or pledged support for LGBTIQA+ equality and inclusion.

This election the guide covers Victorian electoral districts (as per 2022 electoral boundaries) with 700 or more people with Jewish religious affiliation as at the 2021 census. The selected districts are Albert Park, Bentleigh, Brighton, Caulfield, Clarinda, Hawthorn, Malvern, Oakleigh and Prahran.

LINKS

KEY FEATURES

Individual candidate statements indicating commitment to LGBTIQ+ issues
Indicators advising whether a candidate is LGBTIQ+, an ally, or opposed to LGBTIQ+ equality
Indicators advising whether a candidate is Jewish, or is perceived to hold antisemitic views
Links to candidate/party platform/policies on LGBTIQ+ issues
Links to How To Vote cards (available from November 18)

We encourage voters to locate their voting district, review their candidates’ levels of support for LGBTIQ+ issues and vote in a manner that prioritises LGBTIQ+ equality.

HISTORY

This guide is the seventh in our series of election guides since 2013:

MEDIA CONTACT
Michael Barnett | 0417-595-541 | contact@aleph.org.au

ENDS

Aleph Melbourne 2022 Voters Guide for LGBTIQ+ Equality – Victorian State Election

ALEPH MELBOURNEVOTERS GUIDE TO LGBTIQ+ EQUALITYVICTORIAN STATE ELECTION 2022#ALBERT PARK #BENTLEIGH #BRIGHTON #CAULFIELD #CLARINDA #HAWTHORN #MALVERN #OAKLEIGH #PRAHRAN

This guide is designed to inform voters who want to select candidates who have comprehensively demonstrated or pledged support for LGBTIQ+ equality and inclusion.

This election the guide covers Victorian electoral districts (as per 2022 electoral boundaries) with 700 or more people with Jewish religious affiliation as at the 2021 census.

What to look for in candidates that PRIORITISE LGBTIQ+ equality:
* A candidate statement
* [BEST] A comprehensive LGBTIQ+ policy platform and/or unequivocal commitment to LGBTIQ+ issues (green tick)
* [OK] A policy platform that shows some level of support to LGBTIQ+ issues (yellow tick)
* Are declared as an ally or LGBTIQ+

What to look for in candidates that OPPOSE LGBTIQ+ equality:
* A warning symbol against their name in the LGBTIQ+ column
* A policy platform that is inconsistent with LGBTIQ+ equality (red cross)

What if a candidate has not declared themselves as an ally and/or does not have an LGBTIQ+ policy platform?
We recommend you contact the candidate or their party and ask them directly. They have not responded to our emails.

Feedback, corrections and updates are invited via our contact page. Information is provided here in good faith and on the understanding that it is correct.

Candidate statement: Steve Stefanopoulos OAM – Independent for Malvern

The following political statement has been supplied by Steve Stefanopoulos who is running as a candidate for Malvern District in the 2022 Victorian State Government election.

Aleph Melbourne will endorse all political candidates who unconditionally support equal rights for LGBTIQ+ Jews and whose values align with ours.

Dear Michael

I was Australia’s first same sex married Mayor at the City of Stonnington from 2017-2020. I am the Chair of The Pride Fund and heavily involved with the Victorian Pride Centre. I hope this clearly outlines my support for the LGBTIQ+ community.

Kind regards

Steve Stefanopoulos OAM

Candidate statement: Kim Samiotis – Greens candidate for Albert Park

The following political statement has been supplied by Kim Samiotis who is running as a candidate for Albert Park District in the 2022 Victorian State Government election.

Aleph Melbourne will endorse all political candidates who unconditionally support equal rights for LGBTIQ+ Jews and whose values align with ours.

Kim Samiotis
Candidate for Albert Park

My name is Kim Samiotis (pronouns: she/her) and I’m The Greens candidate for Albert Park.

Thank you to Aleph and your community for the opportunity to make my commitment to LGBTIQA+ people in Melbourne’s Jewish community.

The LGBTIQA+ community has been my family since I was born. One of the longest, most stable and loving relationships in my life has been my aunts’ who finally married this year after celebrating their 40th anniversary. I was a teenager when my Mum came out and I witnessed the incredible courage that the community must summon to define their identity in our community. For me, these relationships have always been so normal and healthy and I will always fight for recognition, support and inclusion for queer and gender-diverse people. Who we love, how we identify and the shape of our physical form do not define the goodness of a person.

I am proud to be a member of the Victorian Greens, a party that has always stood with the LGBTIQA+ community across our state. We have fought hard for equal rights and safety for all and I remain committed to continuing the journey towards true equality alongside my LGBTIQA+ colleagues, friends and family.

To begin the next steps of this advocacy, The Victorian Greens have launched our Rainbow State Action Plan to further strengthen our equal opportunity and anti-vilification laws. We will make vilification and public harassment a crime to better protect marginalised Victorians from all minorities and to support victims of hate crimes.

We’ve included a Rainbow State Fund of $200 million over the next term for community-controlled organisations to facilitate their focus on key areas of need such as mental health, youth services, homelessness and sexual health.

We will work to ban deferrable medical interventions on intersex children and continue to work with the LGBTIQA+ community to identify the next essential areas for reform, including adoption, assisted reproductive treatment and surrogacy, to make sure that our laws protect everyone. 33% of LGBTIQA+ people report experiencing anxiety in the last 12 months and 57% report experiencing high distress in the last 4 weeks. Community connection and dependable support can aid these people when they’re most in need.

You can read more about the details and funding for our Rainbow State Action Plan here:

greens.org.au/vic/rainbowstateplan

We are all more alike than those who peddle fear and hate would allow us to believe. Everyone deserves to feel safe from discrimination in their daily lives and to be able to access support and services that meet their needs.

To Aleph members, the Jewish community, and LGBTIQA+ communities across Victoria, The Greens stand with you and I will work tirelessly to represent you in parliament if elected to represent Albert Park at this coming election. No matter what, I will always be by your side, marching, speaking and advocating on your behalf with the love and care that I feel for my own family.

Thank you, Aleph, for your support and may your community advocacy continue with great success.

Kim Samiotis
Greens Candidate for Albert Park

Aleph-statement-Kim-Samiotis-Greens-for-Albert-Park

[PDF]

Candidate statement: Melissa Lowe – Independent for Hawthorn

The following political statement has been supplied by Melissa Lowe who is running as a candidate for Hawthorn District in the 2022 Victorian State Government election.

Aleph Melbourne will endorse all political candidates who unconditionally support equal rights for LGBTIQ+ Jews and whose values align with ours.

As the former Manager of Student Equity at Swinburne University, I’ve seen firsthand the economic, social and health consequences of discrimination.

Discrimination damages mental health and denies people the economic and social opportunities to fulfill their full potential. It forces good people to live in hiding – simply due to who they are, or who they love.

I am aghast at the proposal by the Liberal Party to amend the Equal Opportunity Act to re-legalise discrimination against people on grounds of gender or sexuality. It’s time that we see the end of division and discrimination as an election strategy.

Candidate statement: Loraine Fabb – Animal Justice Party for Oakleigh

The following political statement has been supplied by Loraine Fabb who is running as a candidate for Oakleigh District in the 2022 Victorian State Government election.

Aleph Melbourne will endorse all political candidates who unconditionally support equal rights for LGBTIQ+ Jews and whose values align with ours.

Good morning, Michael!

Thank you for your email.

Kindness, equality, rationality and non-violence are the core values of the Animal Justice Party.

Our party values and my personal values align very well with the values of equality and dignity at Aleph.

As a party, the Animal Justice Party asserts that:

Gender and sexuality equality is a fundamental human right, and the health, safety and wellbeing of women, girls and gender-diverse people are paramount.
Reforms are essential to address the causes of gender and sexuality inequality and to protect people against gender and sexuality-based violence.
Women and gender-diverse people must be supported, encouraged and empowered to be present and/or prominent in all areas of society, including politics.
Everyone must be supported in informed decision-making with respect to gender and sexual identity;
There must be zero tolerance of sexism, homophobia, queerphobia, transphobia, misogyny and all types of violence (including gender and sexuality based violence), and we must work toward gender and sexuality equality and respect in all areas of society.
Gender-inclusive language should be used.
Our current MP, Andy Meddick, has been working tirelessly in Parliament to create more LGBTQIA+ safe spaces in Victoria, particularly for the youth community in areas such as Geelong and Ballarat.

I strongly support LGBTQIA+ organisations in our community, and assert that more LGBTQIA+ safe spaces are required throughout Victoria, including in the District of Oakleigh. If elected, I will support and prioritise the LGBTQIA+ youth voice.

Kind regards,
Loraine Fabb
Oakleigh Candidate
Animal Justice Party

Candidate statement: Sue Litchfield – Animal Justice Party for Clarinda

The following political statement has been supplied by Sue Litchfield who is running as a candidate for Clarinda District in the 2022 Victorian State Government election.

Aleph Melbourne will endorse all political candidates who unconditionally support equal rights for LGBTIQ+ Jews and whose values align with ours.

My name is Sue Litchfield and I am the Animal Justice Party candidate for the Clarinda electorate.

As you may be aware, Kindness, equality, rationality, and non-violence are the core values of the Animal Justice Party.

Andy Meddick , the Animal Justice Party MP, who is currently elected in the Western Victoria region, has been working to create more LGBTQIA+ safe spaces in Victoria. If elected, I will campaign for more safe spaces in the Clarinda district. I would be honoured to provide a voice to the LGBTQIA+ community in Parliament.

I strongly support LGBTQIA+ organisations in our community and will support and prioritise the LGBTQIA+ voice if elected.

The Animal Justice Party’s policies are as follows:

Gender and sexuality equality is a fundamental human right and that the health, safety and wellbeing of women, girls and gender-diverse people is paramount.
Reforms are essential to address the causes of gender and sexuality inequality and to protect people against gender and sexuality-based violence.
Women and gender-diverse people must be supported, encouraged, and empowered to be present and/or prominent in all areas of society, including politics.
Everyone must be supported in informed decision-making with respect to gender and sexual identity.
There must be zero tolerance of sexism, homophobia, queerphobia, transphobia, misogyny and all types of violence (including gender and sexuality based violence) and we must work toward gender and sexuality equality and respect in all areas of society.
Gender-inclusive language should be used.

I believe that in a world where we can be anything, we should choose to be kind.

Candidate statement: David Harris – Animal Justice Party for Bentleigh

The following political statement has been supplied by David Harris who is running as a candidate for Bentleigh District in the 2022 Victorian State Government election.

Aleph Melbourne will endorse all political candidates who unconditionally support equal rights for LGBTIQ+ Jews and whose values align with ours.

Hi Michael,

Thank you for your email regarding the Animal Justice Party’s stance on LGBTIQ+ people & policy.

We are a totally inclusive and progressive party regarding these issues and would strongly advise you to refer to our policy document on our website www.animaljusticeparty.org to see how committed we are towards visibility, acceptance & inclusion of your community.

Our Party is based on the core values of the acronym KERN: Kindness, Equality, Rationality, Non violence

Kind regards David Harris
AJP candidate for Bentleigh

Candidate statement: Nick Savage – Greens candidate for Hawthorn

The following political statement has been supplied by Nick Savage who is running as a candidate for Hawthorn District in the 2022 Victorian State Government election.

Aleph Melbourne will endorse all political candidates who unconditionally support equal rights for LGBTIQ+ Jews and whose values align with ours.

As a Greens candidate, I’m proud to stand up for LGBTIQA+ community members. Although the rights and representation of this community have expanded greatly over the last few decades there are still those in power who wish to see these rights repealed, exemplified by Matthew Guy’s discrimination Bill. The Greens and I are committed to fighting against this prejudice in any form it may take.

Specifically, for the Victorian State election, we will submit an ‘Equality Bill’ to parliament that will strengthen the Equal Opportunity Act to prevent all faith-based schools and organisations from discriminating against LGBTIQA+ students, staff and services users; give the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission stronger powers, including stronger investigatory powers and enforceable determinations; expand anti-vilification laws to protect LGBTIQA+ people and support victims of hate crimes, including by making vilification and public harassment a crime and legislating to make violence motivated by hate a specific criminal offence; ban deferrable medical interventions on children with intersex characteristics and restrict all sex characteristic altering medical treatment on intersex people without personal consent or oversight from an independent expert panel; and protect the important work of the LGBTIQ+ Communities Commissioner and the LGBTIQ+ Taskforce by enshrining them in legislation.

In addition to this, however, the Greens will also establish a $200 million ‘Rainbow State Fund’ that will help fund community controlled LGBTIQA+ services in key areas of need such as mental health, multicultural and youth services, homelessness and sexual health, and much, much more. As I don’t wish to overload you with too much information, please check out the link below if you’d like to know more about our election platform.

Nevertheless, I apologise for the block of information I’ve already presented here, but I recognise that we still have a long way to go in supporting LGBTIQA+ communities, and the Greens are committed to building upon the progress that we’ve already made. Everyone should feel safe from discrimination and be able to access support and services that meet their needs. With more Greens in Parliament, we’ll push for comprehensive changes to make this a reality.

Here is a link to our LGBTIQA+ election platform: greens.org.au/vic/rainbowstateplan

Candidate statement: Sally Gibson – Independent for Brighton

The following political statement has been supplied by Sally Gibson who is running as a candidate for Brighton District in the 2022 Victorian State Government election.

Aleph Melbourne will endorse all political candidates who unconditionally support equal rights for LGBTIQ+ Jews and whose values align with ours.

Hi Michael.

I am supporting Equality Australia’s 10-point plan for LGBTIQ+ equality.

I unconditionally support LGBTIQ+ Visibility, inclusion and acceptance.

sallygibson.com.au/platform