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*These flyers had to be produced before many candidates had been nominated or answered ACL Questionnaire. Please scroll down to read more candidate responses.  

ACL Questionnaire Responses

PartyParental rights Families can counsel children Holistic care Faith leaders offer support Educational professionals offer support Oppose criminalisation of parents and others Independent Inquiry 
Tasmanian Greensa close up of a signa close up of a signa close up of a signa close up of a signa close up of a signa close up of a signa close up of a sign
PartyBan Govt funds for Dark Mofo Remove the word ‘offence’ from Section 17 Defence of religious proclaiming Inquiry into sexually explicit kids books Ban sexually explicit kids books in libraries Ban Drag Queen Story Times Performers such as Drag Queens should have an educational qualification 
Tasmanian Greensa close up of a signa close up of a signa close up of a signa close up of a signa close up of a signa close up of a signa close up of a sign

Seven seats are up for election.

ACL Questionnaire Responses

Name
&
Party
Parental rights Families can counsel children Holistic care Faith leaders offer support Educational professionals offer support Oppose criminalisation of parents and others Independent Inquiry 
Lara Alexander
Lara Alexander,
Independent
a person posing for the camera
Julie Sladden, Liberal
Mark Brown
Mark Brown,
Independent
Name
&
Party
Ban Govt funds for Dark Mofo Remove the word ‘offence’ from Section 17 Defence of religious proclaiming Inquiry into sexually explicit kids books Ban sexually explicit kids books in libraries Ban Drag Queen Story Times Performers such as Drag Queens should have an educational qualification 
Lara Alexander
Lara Alexander,
Independent
a person posing for the camera
Julie Sladden, Liberal
Mark Brown
Mark Brown,
Independent
a close up of a sign

Lara Alexander, Independent Candidate for Bass

Lara Alexander
  • Do you believe that performers who deliver Drag Queen Story Time sessions should have a teaching qualification or similar?
    Yes and a Working with Vulnerable People Card.

My actions in relation to the Tasmanian Law Reform Institute Report which seeks to affect parental rights and mandate gender affirming treatment:

  1. On behalf of Bass constituents, I sponsored a petition in June 2022. No other Bass MP, Liberal or Labor, indicated their willingness to sponsor the petition.

I believed it was my duty to ensure that a thorough discussion of the relative merits of all the recommendation contained in the TLRI report, could take place.

The petition requested the House to:

  1. Assist gender confused children and others by protecting the rights of parents, health practitioners and others as they seek best outcomes; and
  2. Support a rigorous and impartial community consultation being conducted prior to the drafting of any legislation, to include discussions with health practitioners, legal experts, religious and ethnic community leaders.
  • In October 2022 I hosted a meeting of the ‘Freedom of Speech Alliance’ organised at Parliament House.

I support freedom of speech and I believe it was important to allow parents, doctors and other specialists, members of the LGB community, to discuss their concerns around the need for a wider community consultations on the issues of parents’ rights and the capacity to seek best, unrestricted medical support for gender confused children.

Julie Sladden, Liberal Candidate for Bass

a person posing for the camera
  • Do you believe that performers who deliver Drag Queen Story Time sessions should have a teaching qualification or similar?
    Yes, although a WWVP card would be appropriate.  A uniform approach should be taken ie would all storytime tellers require a teaching qualification or similar eg community members, pastors, etc

Mark Brown, Independent Candidate for Bass

Mark Brown
  • Do you believe that performers who deliver Drag Queen Story Time sessions should have a teaching qualification or similar?
    No, as I think it could set an unnecessary precedent for other ‘non-teachers’ e.g. those teaching RE/SRE, chaplains etc.

Seven seats are up for election.

Seven seats are up for election.

Name
&
Party
Parental rights Families can counsel children Holistic care Faith leaders offer support Educational professionals offer support Oppose criminalisation of parents and others Independent Inquiry 
Catherine Searle
Catherine Searle,
Liberal
a person standing in front of a body of water
Kristie Johnston, Independent
a close up of a signa close up of a signa close up of a signa close up of a signa close up of a signa close up of a signa close up of a sign
a man wearing glasses and smiling at the camera
Simon Behrakis, Liberal
Name
&
Party
Ban Govt funds for Dark Mofo Remove the word ‘offence’ from Section 17 Defence of religious proclaiming Inquiry into sexually explicit kids books Ban sexually explicit kids books in libraries Ban Drag Queen Story Times Performers such as Drag Queens should have an educational qualification 
Catherine Searle
Catherine Searle,
Liberal
a person standing in front of a body of water
Kristie Johnston, Independent
a close up of a signa close up of a signa close up of a signa close up of a signa close up of a signa close up of a signWWVP Card
a man wearing glasses and smiling at the camera
Simon Behrakis, Liberal
a close up of a sign

Kristie Johnston, Independent Candidate for Clark

a person standing in front of a body of water

Questions 1-7: I am fully supportive of the TLRI report recommendations and have, and will continue to, strongly advocate for a ban on conversion practices. The draft bill proposed by the current Government is grossly inadequate and does not properly protect LGBTIQA+ community members from the immense harm caused by conversion practices. 

  • Will you support a ban on State Government assistance for Dark Mofo?
    No I will not. 
  • Will you support amendments to the Anti-Discrimination Act?
    Tasmania has gold class anti-discriminations laws and I will NOT support any watering down of it including an amendment to s17.
  • Will you support an inquiry into the prevalence of sexually explicit books in school and public libraries that are available to children? 
    No – I don’t believe there is an issue. 
  • Will you support a ban on sexually explicit books being available to children in school and public libraries?  
    No – I don’t believe there is an issue. 
  • Will you support a ban on Drag Queen Story Times for children? 
    No I will NOT support a ban on Drag Queen Story Time for children. I strongly encourage all members of our community to read to children as children who are read to have overall better literacy outcomes. 
  • Do you believe that performers who deliver Drag Queen Story Time sessions should have a teaching qualification or similar? 
    I believe that anyone working or volunteering with children should have the appropriate WWVP card but again I encourage all members of our community to read to children not just those with teaching qualifications. It should be the responsibility of our entire community to promote and encourage literacy and numeracy skills and tolerance

Simon Behrakis, Liberal Candidate for Clark

a man wearing glasses and smiling at the camera
  • Do you support the right of parents and family members to openly discuss their views about sexual orientation and gender identity issues? 
    Yes. 
    The Liberals support freedom of religion and the right for all people to express their personal faith, beliefs, and values, including for the purposes of making contributions to public policy debates. 
  • Do you support the rights of parents and family members to counsel children with gender identity issues without restriction? 
    The Justice Miscellaneous (Conversion Practices) Bill, that was released by the Liberal Government in 2023, specifically provides that expression of a belief or opinion alone is not a conversion practice. 
    The Bill doesn’t restrict supportive care, guidance, or mentoring of a child by a parent or guardian. 
  • Do you support the right of health practitioners to offer care to people with sexual orientation or gender identity issues according to professional evidence-based standards without any restrictions? 
    The Justice Miscellaneous (Conversion Practices) Bill, that was released by the Liberal Government in 2023, will not restrict legitimate health care conducted by health service providers in line with recognised standards. 
    It does not mandate any specific form of treatment and will not require doctors to provide gender affirming treatment for patients seeking assistance with sexual orientation and gender identity issues. 
    Practices by health service providers that are clinically appropriate and/or in compliance with professional obligations, are not restricted. 
  • Do you support the right of religious leaders and faith communities to have open discussions and provide support to people with sexual orientation and gender identity issues? 
    The Justice Miscellaneous (Conversion Practices) Bill, that was released by the Liberal Government in 2023, makes it clear that a practice that amounts to no more than the expression of an opinion, idea or belief, including a statement of religious principle, by a person is not a conversion practice. 
  • Do you support the right of teachers and educational professionals to have open discussions and provide support to people with sexual orientation and gender identity issues? 
    The Justice Miscellaneous (Conversion Practices) Bill, that was released by the Liberal Government in 2023, makes it clear that a practice that amounts to no more than the expression of an opinion, idea or belief, by a person is not a conversion practice. 
  • Will you oppose any legislation which seeks to criminalise parents, health practitioners, teachers, religious leaders and faith communities having open discussions with people about issues of sexual orientation and gender identity? 
    Yes. 
    We support freedom of religion and the right for all people to express their personal faith, beliefs, and values, including for the purposes of making contributions to public policy debates. 
  • Will you support an independent inquiry into the treatment of people with gender identity issues, especially children and young people? 
    A re-elected majority Liberal Government will monitor the need for further inquiry into the treatment of people with gender identity issues. 
  • Will you support a ban on State Government support for Dark Mofo? 
    No. 
    Consistent with our support for freedom of speech, a re-elected majority Liberal Government will continue to provide partnership funding to events that have a positive impact on the visitor economy, boost jobs and support Tasmanian businesses. 
    Events, like Dark Mofo, are huge drivers of visitation to our State and deliver significant benefits to Tasmania’s tourism and hospitality industries and local production, construction and labour hire businesses. 
  • Will you support amendments to the Anti-Discrimination Act to remove the term “offence” from Section 17; and provide a defence of religious proclamation based on the beliefs of a particular faith? 
    I am committed to free speech and allowing all Tasmanians to express their opinions reasonably and respectfully in accordance with their views. 
  • Will you support an inquiry into the prevalence of sexually explicit books in school and public libraries that are available to children? 
    I am advised that Libraries Tasmania purchase and acquire materials that have been reviewed and authorised for general public access by the Australian Classification Board and all materials within libraries and schools are managed to comply with legal requirements under the Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Enforcement Act 1995. 
    It is important that material being made available to children by public entities such as libraries and schools are age appropriate and do not pose a risk to children. 
  • Will you support a ban on sexually explicit books being available to children in schools and public libraries? 
    I am advised that Libraries Tasmania purchase and acquire materials that have been reviewed and authorised for general public access by the Australian Classification Board and all materials within libraries and schools are managed to comply with legal requirements under the Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Enforcement Act 1995. 
    It is important that material being made available to children by public entities such as libraries and schools are age appropriate and do not pose a risk to children. 
  • Will you support a ban on Drag Queen Story Times for children? 
    As per the above, whilst I support freedom of speech and expression, including times when I might not personally agree, we must balance that against ensuring material being presented to children is age appropriate. 
  • Do you believe that Drag Queen Story Time sessions should have a teaching qualification or similar? 
    As per the above, whilst I support freedom of speech and expression, including times when I might not personally agree, we must balance that against ensuring material being presented to children is age appropriate. 

Seven seats are up for election.

ACL Questionnaire Responses

Name
&
Party
Parental rights Families can counsel children Holistic care Faith leaders offer support Educational professionals offer support Oppose criminalisation of parents and others Independent Inquiry 
a man wearing glasses and smiling at the camera
Aldo Antolli,
Liberal
Eric Abetz
Eric Abetz, Liberal
Josh Garvin
Josh Garvin, Liberal
Name
&
Party
Ban Govt funds for Dark Mofo Remove the word ‘offence’ from Section 17 Defence of religious proclaiming Inquiry into sexually explicit kids books Ban sexually explicit kids books in libraries Ban Drag Queen Story Times Performers such as Drag Queens should have an educational qualification 
a man wearing glasses and smiling at the camera
Aldo Antolli,
Liberal
Eric Abetz
Eric Abetz, Liberal
Josh Garvin
Josh Garvin, Liberal
a close up of a sign

Aldo Antolli, Liberal Candidate for Franklin

Aldo Antolli
  • Will you support a ban on State Government assistance for Dark Mofo?
    Dark Mofo: I do not know what assistance the State offers, for example funding towards public safety to manage the event?, but I am not in favour of the Dark Mofo mood, theme and focus. I have long said I would prefer a family friendly winter festival with lights and attractions that offends no-one – similar to what they have in Europe.
  • Will you support amendments to the Anti-Discrimination Act to:
    a) Remove the term ‘offence’ from Section 17?
    I am not an expert in this section of law, but if you are referring to the subjective term ‘being offended’ then I would support changing that to be more objective.
    b) Provide a defence of religious proclamation based on the beliefs of a particular faith?
    Yes, provided one’s religious beliefs do not break the law.

Eric Abetz, Liberal Candidate for Franklin

Eric Abetz
  • Do you support the right of parents and family members to openly discuss their views about sexual orientation and gender identity issues? 
    Yes. Parents are the people most invested in their own children and this has been recognised in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and elsewhere. 
  • Do you support the right of parents and family members to counsel children with gender identity issues without restriction?
    Seeking an absolute answer to questions is difficult. Within the bounds of acceptable parental guidance and counselling I believe parents are well and often best suited to guide their children.  
  • Do support the right of health practitioners to offer care to people with sexual orientation or gender identity issues according to professional evidence-based standards without any other restrictions? 
    Yes. Professional based standards are appropriate boundaries. 
  • Will you oppose any legislation which seeks to criminalise parents, health practitioners, teachers, religious leaders and faith communities having open discussions with people about issues of sexual orientation and gender identity?  
    Open discussions are to be encouraged. Seeking to criminalise such activity is never helpful to anyone. 
  • Will you support an independent inquiry into the treatment of people with gender identity issues, especially children and young people?
    I am open to persuasion either way in relation to the need for an Inquiry. 
  • Will you support a ban on State Government assistance for Dark Mofo?
    Dark Mofo has attracted much public funding to date. The dark nature of its messaging is concerning as is its sacrilegious dealing with many aspects of the Christian faith which has offended many Tasmanians. A more sensitive approach in their offerings would actually make it a more inclusive festival. 
  • Will you support amendments to the Anti-Discrimination Act to: 
    a) Remove the term ‘offence’ from Section 17?  
    b) Provide a defence of religious proclamation based on the beliefs of a particular faith?  
    Religious freedom is one of the basic human rights which is too often overlooked. 
    Someone taking ‘offence’ to a statement or behaviour is too low a threshold for the state to become involved seeking to modify behaviours, as such a test is too subjective. 
    It is my personal view the whole Act needs revisiting to get the balance right. 
  • Will you support an inquiry into the prevalence of sexually explicit books in school and public libraries that are available to children?  
    I remain to be persuaded about the need for such an Inquiry. I do not need to be persuaded that most of such material is destructive to our children. The definition of ‘sexually explicit’ needs to be determined but I appreciate the motivation of the question and share the concern motivating the request. 
  • Will you support a ban on sexually explicit books being available to children in school and public libraries?
    Sexually explicit material should not in general be freely available to minors. 
  • Will you support a ban on Drag Queen Story Times for children? 
    I do not support public funding and publicly funded institutions using the taxpayers dollar to promote Drag Queen Story Times for children. 
  • Do you believe that performers who deliver Drag Queen Story Time sessions should have a teaching qualification or similar?  
    I do not countenance public Drag Queen Story Time sessions and therefore the question of qualifications or otherwise does not arise. 

Josh Garvin, Liberal Candidate for Franklin

Josh Garvin
  • Do you support the right of parents and family members to openly discuss their views about sexual orientation and gender identity issues? 
    Yes. Parents should always have the right to parent. It is not the job of the state to parent children or demand parents raise their children in a specific ideology or religion. Parents know their children best, and they are best suited to know what supports and boundaries are best suited for their children. 
  • Do you support the right of parents and family members to counsel children with gender identity issues without restriction?  
    Yes. Until a child has reached the age of maturation, children should receive unfettered counsel from their parents. Where the state can help is inform and help parents about data informed best practices and help them more effectively communicate with children. Though that function should never be force, the state should only act as support and not control over parents. 
  • Do support the right of health practitioners to offer care to people with sexual orientation or gender identity issues according to professional evidence-based standards without any other restrictions?  
    Health practitioners have a responsibility to use the best available evidence-based treatments to provide the best possible care to their patients. We should do everything possible to ensure that those providing evidence-based services such as medicine and education are directed by the data and not ideological. 
  • Do you support the right of religious leaders and faith communities to have open discussions and provide support to people with sexual orientation and gender identity issues? 
    Ministers of the church have a biblical responsibility to shepherd their congregation. The State should never interfere with that responsibility. Faith communities must stand for what they believe in and when the State begins to oppose the ability to speak freely on those beliefs, it has crossed the line. 
  • Do you support the right of teachers and educational professionals to have open discussions and provide support to people with sexual orientation and gender identity issues? 
    I do, though with the consent and support of the parents. Schools are an important place for children to learn and grow. Though it is critical that schools don’t seek to raise children in a way contrary to their family’s cultural, religious and ideological beliefs. That said, it is vital to children’s learning that they be exposed to divergent beliefs and that parents prepare their children to interact with different worldviews. The issue arises when that exposure to divergent beliefs becomes indoctrination into the ideological framework of the teacher which is never ok. 
  • Will you oppose any legislation which seeks to criminalise parents, health practitioners, teachers, religious leaders and faith communities having open discussions with people about issues of sexual orientation and gender identity? 
    Yes. 
  • Will you support an independent inquiry into the treatment of people with gender identity issues, especially children and young people? 
    Absolutely. The area of gender identity and its effects on children especially is far from sufficiently understood to inform productive and good policy. Therefore, I will encourage any opportunity to get more data upon which we can make the important decisions that parliament is asked to consider. 
  • Will you support a ban on State Government assistance for Dark Mofo?
    I believe that as Christians we are called into the dark places. I definitely don’t support some of the ‘art’ installations that Dark Mofo has promoted in recent years. Though it is important to look at the bigger picture. First, there are many amazing Christian artists in our state. Second, the Dark Mofo event attracts many to their events helping drive our economy and encourage our community to get out in some of the coldest weeks. So, would I support an outright ban of Dark Mofo? No. I would, however, do two things. First, support restrictions on State Government assistance for art that is contrary to the public interest. Second, I would encourage Christian artists to move into the space and help move Dark Mofo towards being an event that our whole community can support. I appreciate the work that people like Michael Henderson, Richard Humphrey and Hobart Baptist Church have been doing in this space. Tasmania, by virtue of Section 17 of the Anti-Discrimination Act, has some of the most restrictive laws in the country in terms of freedom of expression.  
  • Will you support amendments to the Anti-Discrimination Act to:
    a) Remove the term ‘offence’ from Section 17?
    I completely support this change. Make offending someone an offence is patently ridiculous. While we don’t have constitutional protections for free speech, the ability to speak truth to power is central to our Australian identity. The fact that the attributes upon which offending is an offence is drafted to not include all basis on which discrimination can occur shows the intent is not anti-discrimination but rather ideological protection. I completely support removing the term ‘offends’ from the legislation. 
    b) Provide a defence of religious proclamation based on the beliefs of a particular faith?
    I think there are no grounds on which it should be an offence to proclaim one’s own religious, political or ideological beliefs. In the public square, in open debate and discussion is where democracy happens. As soon as one is restricted or threatened with an offence if a listeners could be offended, the dampening effect on our community is severe. No one should ever be threatened with a criminal record for proclaiming their religious beliefs. At the same time, promoting religious belief should never be an excuse for dehumanising or demeaning language about any person. There is much in Tasmania which seeks to sexualise young children inappropriately. 
  • Will you support an inquiry into the prevalence of sexually explicit books in school and public libraries that are available to children? 
    Yes. There is clear data on the negative effects of children being exposed to pornographic materials at a young age (or any age for that matter). I would like to know if such content is being provided to our children through our public libraries. If it is, I will support efforts to ensure that we are protecting our children from that content. 
  • Will you support a ban on sexually explicit books being available to children in school and public libraries?  
    Yes, absolutely, If the inquiry identifies this as an issue, I would support such a ban. With an exception for clearly educational content being taught to children in an age-appropriate manner. 
  • Will you support a ban on Drag Queen Story Times for children? 
    I would support a ban any state funds or resources being allocated to encouraging or enabling such content for children. Drag Queens are an embodiment of an ideological worldview that shouldn’t be smuggled in to influence children. 
  • Do you believe that performers who deliver Drag Queen Story Time sessions should have a teaching qualification or similar? 
    Libraries are often staffed by wonderful volunteers and hardworking staff. Story times are an important part of the way Libraries serve the community and limiting them to qualified teachers would be untenable. However, given my answer to the previous question, I don’t believe Drag Queens should be reading to children in the first place (especially while in drag). 

Seven seats are up for election.

DISCLAIMER:

ACL cannot tell you who to vote for.  We can however, share information about candidates. Some candidates will align to Christian values more closely than others.