Turner: Be careful what you copy, Mr Jones!
New Zealand First MP Dail Jones' anti-gay attack on the Families Commission was a sad mix of bigotry and hypocrisy, with
a dollop of plagiarism thrown in for good measure, United Future family affairs spokeswoman Judy Turner said today.
"Or perhaps he just has a bad memory, given that much of what he is criticizing he uplifted word-for-word from United
Future policy and inserted into his very own Member's Bill calling for a families commission," Mrs Turner said.
"It gets even more interesting when one considers his vitriolic condemnation of gay families, and his desire to have
them removed from the umbrella of the Families Commission, no matter what the cost to their children.
"The irony of Mr Jones' cut-and-paste bill is that its definition of family does not exclude gay couples. In fact if
that was his intention, then it provides a loophole large enough for every gay couple in the country to march through
hand-in-hand!
"And while he may wish for a commission that excludes rather than includes people, United Future is proud to be putting
forward a reality that will benefit every family and every child in this country.
"There is no chapter on gay families, just as there is none on step-families, blended families, extended families or any
other type of family.
"The fact is some families have come together through incredibly difficult circumstances, and they simply wish to look
to a future, and they face the same issues as any other family.
"We're not taking a one-size-fits-all approach to families, and we don't apologise for that," Mrs Turner said.
"People live in families of all shapes, sizes and configurations. New Zealand First might well support discriminating
against our children, but United Future won't."