If you’re an L, G, B, or T, that’s in the Australian army, then it’s time to get the sandwiches out. Cause morning teas that celebrate diversity are back on the table, baby. According to The Guardian, Richard Marles, Labor’s defence minister, has unbanned such events from taking place.
Moreover, this move has been supported by the military’s top brass. On August 23, the chief of defence, Gen Angus Campbell, and the defence department secretary, Greg Moriarty, said as much in a directive to the Defence staff. They were in favour of their workers backing “not-for-profit organisations, charity events, and upcoming days such as Wear It Purple and R U OK Day.”
Campbell and Moriarty then went on to state, “We look forward to working with all of you to build capability through fostering a diverse and inclusive workforce to deliver on Defence’s mission.”
A Peter Dutton Flashback
In 2021, Peter Dutton, our defence minster during that year, banned Australia’s military personnel from attending certain staff events. One such event was morning teas that supported International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia, and Transphobia. He defended his decision by telling the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, “Our task is to build up the morale in the Australian Defence Force, and these woke agendas don’t help.”
At this time, the Community and Public Sector Union’s (CPSU) Deputy National President, Brooke Muscat, went after this decision. She stated, “If having a morning tea for reconciliation week, international women’s day, or international day against homophobia is stopping our national security efforts then we have a real problem.” Muscat also commented, “This has Peter Dutton written all over it, the Federal Minister for Culture Wars.”
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Related: Who is the Liberal Minster Peter Dutton? What You Need to Know
Now, Back to the Year 2022
The fact that Marles revoked the Coalition’s decision, while still being fresh to this role, demonstrates that he wants to run a different sort of Australian Defence Force. This shift might be welcomed by the likes of Muscat. When discussing Marles’ new morning tea policy, she said, “CPSU members in the defence department are pleased to once again be able to participate in activities that demonstrate their solidarity and support for diversity and inclusion.”
According to Campbell and Moriarty’s directive, our military personnel can have an office coffee while stanning LGBTQIA+ rights as of yesterday, August 23.
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