Premier takes aim at Barnaby Joyce after abortion robocalls
Premier Gladys Berejiklian has taken aim at Barnaby Joyce after NSW residents reported receiving robocalls from the federal Nationals MP condemning legislation to decriminalise abortion as the bill is debated in the state upper house today.
NSW
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NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has taken a veiled swipe at federal Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce over his involvement in the state’s abortion debate.
Some NSW residents have received robocalls from Mr Joyce urging them to oppose a bill to decriminalise abortion ahead of a debate in the state’s upper house on Tuesday.
In the call, Mr Joyce — who holds the NSW regional seat of New England — argues the draft legislation would allow abortions to be performed “for any reason” up to birth.
“Please don’t #robocall me …,” one recipient posted on Twitter. “Your opinion has been weighed, measured, and found wanting.”
Ms Berejiklian on Tuesday took aim at the former deputy prime minister’s involvement.
“The NSW parliament is for NSW parliamentarians to get views from their communities, to look at their own consciences and vote accordingly,” she said.
“This is an issue for NSW MPs.” Ms Berejiklian dismissed criticism from some MPs that the draft legislation has been rushed through.
“I have been in parliament for nearly 17 years and I can’t remember a bill having so much debate in the lower house,” she said.
Hundreds of pro-choice activists rallied in Macquarie Street on Tuesday morning, with anti-abortion supporters to protest in Martin Place and hold a vigil outside parliament from 6pm.
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The private members bill to remove abortion from the state’s Crimes Act, which passed the lower house 59 to 31, was last week considered by an upper house committee ahead of the debate.
MPs are preparing for a long session to deal with the legislation, with upper house opponents planning to table amendments.
Finance Minister Damien Tudehope will move to ban gender-selection abortions, while One Nation NSW leader Mark Latham will reportedly move to ensure medical professionals aren’t forced to do anything they consider morally wrong.
Shooters, Fishers and Farmers MP Robert Borsak will also move to establish a joint committee inquiry into the bill.
Christian organisation FamilyVoice Australia believes the management of the bill has lacked due process and procedural fairness.
Some MPs have written to the premier seeking more time for the committee process but chair Shayne Mallard said the issue has been debated since the 1960s. “My personal view is that if we had six months we’d still have the same information. I can’t see how anything would have changed,” he told AAP.
Mr Mallard expected the committee’s report would be tabled on Tuesday as initially planned, despite the inquiry receiving about 14,000 submissions. The Liberal MP had personally received 10,783 emails regarding the bill as of Monday afternoon.
It is opposed by several frontbench MPs including Dominic Perrottet, Anthony Roberts and David Elliott.
Opponents in the upper house include Christian Democrat Fred Nile, who previously described the bill as “a tyrannical piece of legislation that enforces secular morality on everyone”.
— AAP