From moselecw@elec.canterbury.ac.nz Mon May 10 01:06:20 1993

(precis of newspaper articles which follow, with a little background)

"NZ politician launches new homophobic attack"

John Banks, the New Zealand Minister of Police launched a new attack on the gay
community on Thursday night. His claims center on a recent survey of public
opinion on the possibility of homsexual police officers. Mr Banks is a
well-known right-wing homophobe who regularly makes way over-the-top statements
on these sorts of issues. His current attack does not seem to be given much
credence by the media, who are reporting a lot of the criticism of Mr Banks
position, as well as some interesting quotes.

The debate is centered on a proposed amendment to anti-discrimination
legislation that would make discrimination on the basis of sexuality illegal.
At the moment there is widespread support for the amendment, with the major
surprises being the army and the police union both saying that sexuality is not
an issue, only unacceptable sexual activity _while on duty_. Both have made it
plain that this covers an sexual behavior, including both hetero- and homo-sex.

The Police force proper have finally completed a survey into public reaction
in the police formally allowing gays into the force. They were required to get
approval for the questions in the survey from the Statistics Department, but
were unable to do so. Eventually they got a waiver of this need, and used a
controversial survey they had tried to use previously. This had been severely
criticised by many people as being designed to elict specific responses, mostly
by asking respondents to use their own definition of homosexuality. The actual
result they got is still encouraging - support for th4e police fell from 95
per cent to 76 per cent - a drop of only 19%.

A major claim by the Opposition in Parliament is that the survey forms had a
purported endorsement by the Government Statistician that was in fact cobbled
together from a report on a different version of the survey. This could in
theory lead to John Banks being asked to resign as minister, but is more
likely to lead to him being laughed at. "The Press" quoted Lianne Dalziel
(deputy justice spokeswoman for the opposition) and apparently got most of
its information from her.

What no-one is pointing out is that only 19 per cent of the people who
responded would change their opinion of the police if they had `overt
homosexuals' in the force. This hardly correlates with John Banks claim that
most New Zealanders are opposed. As well, the survey focussed on issues like
"would you want to be body-searched by a gay policeman?", rather than "would
you want your burglary investigated by a gay policeman?".


Reprinted from `The Press', Friday 7 May, 1993, without permission.

"Sodomy `out for Kiwis'"

Most New Zealanders "do not want a bar of sodomy", the Minister of Police, Mr
Banks, said last night as he mounted his strongest attack yet on the AIDS
Foundation.

The foundation had just accused the police of reverting to an earlier version
of a survey on homosexuals in the police force after failing to obtain
Statistics Department approval for that and amended versions.

After the police had, on December 22, obtained a waiver from the need to obtain
the approval of the Minister of Statistics for the survey, the police had opted
to use its original form of the survey, the foundation said.

The original survey form had been much criticised by the Department of
Statistics.

A key difference was that both the original and final versions had requested
respondents to give "your own understanding" of what was meant by homosexual.

The foundations director, Mr Warren Lindberg, argued that this confused the
survey by making it a poll on definitions of homosexuality rather than on
homosexuality and the police.

Mr Banks told "The Press" that he did not care what the foundation said, as
most New Zealanders would aggree with him.

"Decent people are not interested in what these people have to say on this
particular issue."

"They (the foundation) know that people do not want a bar of sodomy as it
relates to the recruitment of police officers and their other filthy antics."

He cited the police poll, saying that public confidence in the police would
"plummet" if gay officers were allowed.

The poll found that over-all confidence would drop from 95 per cent to 76 per
cent.

Of the Statistics Department, Mr Banks said: "Maybe they (the Department of
Statistics) support the Aids Foundation on this particular issue. The majority
of New Zealanders don't."

Mr Banks also condemned the foundations tactics.

"What they are doing is trying to come in through the back door," he said.

(and, continued on page 6...)

"Tough debate on gay police likely"

By Peter Luke, in Wellington.  (where parliament is)

Parliament is warming up for the biggest fight over gay rights since the
battles of the mid-1980's, when homosexuality was legalised.

When the House resumes after its recess on June 1 it will consider a select
committee report on the Human Rights Bill.

While the Bill cautiously steers clear of banning discrimination on the grounds
of homosexulaity or carrying HIV-AIDS, there will be controversial attempts to
insert these once the Bill is reported back.

The police fight to prevent overt or known homosexuals being recruited
resurfaced at Parliament with the release this week of a police survey on
public attitudes to homosexual officers.

The Aids Foundation, whoch has led the fight to legislate to outlaw the present
ban on police recruitment of homosexual officers, yesterday charged that the
police had switched polls.

This related to the December 22 decision of the Minister of Statistics, Mr
Williamson, to waive the need for the police to obtain his departments approval
before conducting a poll into attitudes to homosexual police officers.

The foundation, supported by the Opposition, has argued that the police, after
December 22, immediately reverted to the early form of the poll which had been
heavily criticised by the Department of Statistics.

Had the Minister known this earlier form would be used, permission would have
been refused, said the foundation.

The Opposition's deputy justice spokeswoman, Ms Lianne Dalziel, siad last night
a complaint over breach of privilege could be laid.

She accused the Minister of Police, Mr Banks, of "cobbling together" two
statements froma Statistics report to make it appear that the department had
endorsed the survey.

"A purported quote of endorsement from the Government Statistician was from a
document that was not written in reference to the poll actually used by the
police," said Ms Dalziel.