Doug PollardMoving beyond blue
An early draft design for Kreacher
It's a long goodbye.
In June 2008 Jeff Kennett told the world he would step down from the chairmanship of beyondblue at the end of 2010.
Then in July that same year Kennett ran into a storm of criticism for
comparing a bisexual football trainer to a paedophile.
Since when we have heard no more about his much-longed for retirement from the national depression initiative.
Staff at the organisation are now pinning their hopes on CEO Dawn O’Neil as the new broom who will finally sweep the old bull elephant out the door.
The two certainly have very different views, as she made clear in her recent radio interview with me on The Rainbow Report, Joy 94.9, Friday 16 Sep.
She agreed to speak after Kennett used a report, For Kids’ Sake, commissioned by the Australian Christian Lobby, to argue that there was no substitute for parents of both genders.
“During my 11-year leadership of beyondblue, the national depression initiative, I have become increasingly concerned that so many children starting out in primary school are already stressed and anxious . ..,” said Kennett, playing the ‘won’t someone think of the children' card.
But when he added “Happy heterosexual marriages are the best environment for the mental health of children,” he went beyond what the report actually said.
The report’s author, Professor Patrick Parkinson, really was thinking of the children.
“The report was nothing to do with the current same-sex marriage debate,” he told me.
“That is really a big distraction from the main issue .... the rapidly deteriorating wellbeing of many children and young people in Australia.”
Beyondblue CEO Dawn O’Neill also disowned Kennett’s remarks, posting a rebuttal on the beyondblue website.
And in our radio interview she told me, “Those views Jeff expressed were his own and don’t reflect the views of the wider organisation. Beyondblue’s view is that we value diversity and social inclusion.”
Children grow up well in a loving relationship regardless of whether it’s with a single parent, blended family, or gay and lesbian families, it’s the quality of the parenting that makes the difference and we know that from the research."
So would she say that Kennett’s comments had no rational basis?
Public advocates, leaders, and directors of boards, such as herself, she said, “have to be always looking at our own behaviour, at the behaviour of those we can influence around us.”
“The things Jeff said absolutely don’t hold up against the evidence, [but] that’s his opinion and he’s absolutely entitled to that as are we all.”
High profile lesbian Professor Kerryn Phelps was unimpressed.
“A lot of words just to say “Jeff is wrong”, she posted on Twitter, after reading the website.
“Absolutely he is entitled to a view as a private individual, but to misrepresent research to malign a group, perpetuate a falsehood, is appalling.
“So if beyondblue believes in diversity and supports same sex parenting how can Jeff Kennett remain as chair?”
And indeed it’s hard to see how he can. But first, the board has to be aware of his actions. One board member declined my request for an interview because my call was the first she’d heard about it.
Meanwhile O’Neil, sounding a little like Sir Humphrey Appleby ('Yes Minister'), told Joy listeners “As a fellow director and member of the board I know that this . . . certainly is a question for the board to consider and I’m sure they will be doing that.”
It remains to be seen what beyondblue’s paymasters make of this latest 'brain snap'.
They are: the commonwealth government at almost $9.7m a year; the Victorian State government at around $3.5m pa; and Movember, which is reckoned to account for well over 90% of donations - $8.1 million in 2008. For that kind of money you'd think they could find a chairman who didn't make the organisation look foolish at regular intervals.
The last time Kennett’s gay-friendly mask slipped, it made a big splash, generating a chorus of condemnation. Public reaction this timehas been more muted.
But behind the scenes he is being reminded that he has yet to make good on his commitment to step down a year ago.
At that time he said the organisation needed "fresh blood and new ideas", and given the disconnect between his publicly expressed attitudes and those of the organisation he founded, who could disagree?
He has now been in the role for 11 years, plus three years before that getting it off the ground. In that time beyondblue has grown enormously.
It appears the chairman has not.
