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Alternative Law Journal |
Peter Wilmshurst is a Sydney lawyer.
Rebecca Peters is a long time friend of the Alternative Law Journal
both as member of the NSW Committee and as a contributor. She is known Australia
wide and internationally for her work on gun control via the Coalition for Gun
Control. She is now in the USA on a fellowship from the Open Society Institute
(aka the Soros Foundation).
Jeffery Alan Knuth is a member of the Queensland Parliament. Elected as a
member for One Nation he was with them from 13 June 1998 to 23 February 1999.
From 23 February 1999 until 5 August 1999 he was an Independent. From 5 August
1999 he has been a member of the Country Party Queensland. By the time this item
is published he may well represent someone else.
As he is unlikely to be a member after the next election, why is Knuth of
any interest at all? On 25 May 1999 he was speaking in the Parliament’s
debate about the Weapons Amendment Bill — an attempt to water down
Queensland gun law. His speech is of no interest; it was a pro-gun owning
argument containing the usual slogans and lack of any serious analysis. During
the course of his contribution Knuth stated:
Now, let us look at the anti-gun lobby. Who can remember Rebecca Peters? Well, Miss Rebecca Peters, whom I believe — according to SSAA reports — has had a sex change, is now leading a group who wishes to legalise dangerous drugs such as heroin, crack and speed for young Australians. So what we have here is someone who is not quite sure whether they are Arthur or Martha, who set out on a crusade to ban firearms from Australia and is now advocating that we kill our children with drugs. This shows the sort of lunacy of the so-called moral few who wish to set such high standards by proclaiming the banning of firearms to save lives. [Hansard, p.1888]
The only
‘lunacy’ committed by Peters is that she mobilised hundreds of
thousands of her fellow citizens in all States and Territories to seek changes
to Australian gun laws. The subsequent changes had the support of all
legislatures and both major political parties.
And by the way Peters has not had a sex change, is not involved directly or
indirectly with any group wanting to legalise drugs, has never advocated the
banning of all guns and is not advocating the killing of children.
Peters is the recipient of the 1996 Australian Human Rights Medal and the
inaugural Public Health Impact Award from the Public Health Association. She is
also admitted to practice as a solicitor.
On guns her position is clear. On drugs Peters numbers herself along with
people like the NSW DPP, the former Royal Commissioner into the NSW Police, the
NSW AMA and the NSW Law Society and with the overwhelming majority of
Australians who support drug law reform. She supports people like Dr Alex Wodak
of Sydney’s St Vincent’s Hospital’s Alcohol and Drug Service
in his efforts with harm reduction campaigns. In the area of harm reduction in
1999 the majority of Australian Health and Police Ministers supported heroin
trials and these are to occur in Sydney, Melbourne and the ACT this year. The
comments of Knuth are as ill informed as they are unhelpful in an area of high
emotion.
The Queensland Parliament has a ‘Citizen’s Right of
Reply’ procedure and Peters has pursued this to have her response placed
in Hansard. Perhaps though the last word should go to Knuth. After his attack on
Peters he said: 'Ithink this person has lost all credibility and should never be
taken seriously again'.
Unintentionally Knuth MP gave us a fine piece of self-evaluation.
His constituents should take note.