Free MPs to back beliefs, says unionist Joe de Bruyn

Labor Party and trade union stalwart Joe de Bruyn has urged politicians across all parties to insist on their right to a conscience vote on life-and-death issues such as abortion and euthanasia.

Trade union stalwart Joe de Bruyn.

Labor Party and trade union stalwart Joe de Bruyn has urged politicians across all parties to insist on their right to a conscience vote on life-and-death issues such as abortion and euthanasia.

Mr de Bruyn, 75, was speaking before addressing Australian Catholic University graduates in Melbourne, where he accepted an honorary doctorate on Monday for services to the Catholic Church.

He has served as a trustee of Campion College, Australia’s first independent liberal arts college, for 19 years and chaired the board for 17 years.

His comments come after weeks of debate during the Queensland election campaign in which Opposition Leader David Crisafulli, who is heavily favoured to win, has insisted a Liberal National Party government would not change the state’s abortion laws liberalised under former Labor premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

Independent MP Robbie Katter, however, has pledged to sponsor a bill to amend the current law if the LNP is elected.

Mr Crisafulli has consistently refused to say whether he would allow a conscience vote. It’s “not part of our plan’’ he has said repeatedly. That is despite the fact several current and potential MPs would probably support Mr Katter’s desire to tighten the law.

At the graduation ceremony, Mr de Bruyn said the issue of abortion needed to be tackled.

“Over 80,000 unborn children are killed by abortion in Australia each year,’’ he said. “Worldwide, the estimated number is 42 million per annum. Abortion is the single biggest killer of human beings in the world, greater by far than the toll of human life in World War II. It is a tragedy that must be ended.’’

He urged the students to stand by their principles in their professional and personal lives, even when the general opinion of the majority of the population was at odds with the teaching of the church.

“My experience is that many Catholics cave in to peer pressure. They think their professional lives will be harmed if they promote the teaching of the church,’’ he said. “My experience is that this is not so. Despite my view on some issues being at odds with views of my contemporaries over the past 50 years, it never affected my career.’’

The key determinant was how you presented your case, he said: “If you do it in a manner offensive to others, they will respond in a hostile manner. If, however, you use logic in a persuasive way, others may still disagree but they will respect you for your point of view.’’

Mr de Bruyn retired as president of the shoppies union in 2018, where he also served for 36 years as national secretary. He was on the national executive of the Labor Party until 2015 and is a life member.

His outspokenness is seemingly out of step with parts of the Catholic hierarchy. In their pre-election statement three weeks ago, Queensland’s Catholic bishops did not mention abortion or conscience votes on the subject.