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Cabinet to lift services'
ban on gays 'within weeks'
By TOM CONNORS
Cabinet is expected to lift within
weeks the ban on homosexuals joining
the armed services, but it would almost
certainly be reimposed if the Coalition
won the next election.
The Opposition Leader, John Hew-
son, said yesterday that his view was
straightforward - this was an area left
to the advice of the Dcfence Chiefs of
Staff.
Discrimination in the armed forces
was different from that in other areas of
the work force and it was reasonable to
take the advice of the defence chiefs, he
said.
The issue of gays in the armed ser-
vices arose in June when the Minister
for Defence, Robert Ray, agreed to a
request by the service chiefs to continue
the 1986 ban on gay recruitment. This
was opposed by many people in the
Labor Party, including the Attor-
ney-General, Michael Duffy, by the Hu-
man Rights Commissioner, Brian
Burdekin, and by gay-activist groups.
The Caucus Joint Working Group on
Homosexual Policy in the Australian
Defence Force was established and in a
report issued in Canberra yesterday re-
commended - by four votes to two -
that Cabinet end the ban. Two other
major recommendations were that the
armed services eliminate discrimina-
tion on the grounds of sexual preference
and that an education campaign be con-
ducted among service people to assist
them to cope with the end of the ban.
Those in favour of lifting the ban
were the committee chairman, Senator
Terry Aulich (Tas), Senator Stephen
Loosely (NSW), Senator Olive Zakhar-
ov (Vic) and Mr Duncan Kerr (Tas).
Opposed were Mr Brian Courtice (Qld)
and Mr Ted Grace (NSW).
Senator Aulich said the four-to-two
vote probably reflected party attitude.
The committee asked whether the
armed forces were so different as to be
exempt from the Government's antidis-
crimination policies.
It concluded that although the forces
were unique, in the long run they should
be able to deal with the issue of homo-
sexuality in an honest way, ensuring no
threat of blackmail.
The executive officer of the Armed
Forces Federation of Australia, Patrick
Jones, predicted yesterday that defence
personnel would react with disgust if
Cabinet lifted the ban.
Mr Jones said defence personnel,
men and women, had to work in con-
fined areas, whether in a bunker, on
board a submarine or a ship.
It would be nice to know, he said, that
they could trust their fellow men or
women.
Homosexuals now likely to be al-
lowed into the services, "many person
nel would be disturbed."
The Opposition's defence spokes-
man, Alexander Downer, agreed with
Dr Hewson that Governments should
be guided by views of service chiefs and
they tended to know more about issue
of gays in the services than politicians.
He did not want to discriminate on
the basis of sexual preference but in the
services there was a range of exemptions
from normal community requirements.
Mr Downer said discrimination had
to apply in the services because of the
impact homosexuality could have on
the capability of personnel in certain
circumstances such as on board ship or
out on patrol in small units.
He said the committee's report put
the credibility of Senator Ray in jeopar-
dy and his mistake had been to turn the
matter into a public debate.
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