Doug PollardPeter Chandler - Labor Box Hill
Doug chatted with the Labor candidate for Box Hill - it was his first ever radio interview and he was very nervous, and anxious to get things right. So he apologises if his terminology wasn't exactly PC.
DOUG: As it’s the election weekend we’d thought we’d do one last round-up of a few local politicians we haven’t heard from up to now and my first guest today is Peter Chandler. Now, he’s standing for Labor in Box Hill, he’s a lifetime resident of the area. He has 3-sons ranging in age from primary school to university student and he’s frequently involved in schools and sporting groups. So has spent time coaching junior basketball. We all know both sport and schools are areas where gay pupils often find it most difficult and where they run in to problems with bullying and things – so, m’mm. Good morning, Peter. Do you have any experience of those things happening in the schools you’ve been involved with?
PETER: Yes. Good morning, how are you?
DOUG: I’m fine.
PETER: That’s good – m’mm? Yes. The school I’m involved in (sic) is [indistinct] Primary School. I’ve had two of my children go through there and I was on school council there and what we have is a restorative justice programme in – in place, there. It’s like an intervention and they get all the children together that’s (sic) involved and make the other children understand what – how the feelings of the person they’ve hurt – and it seems to work quite well. A lot of the parents aren’t too happy with them. Some parents like to hang, draw-and-quarter the bullies - - -
DOUG: [laughs]
PETER: This type of intervention works. It’s obviously, first stage. If the bullying continues you’ve got to up-the-ante a little with punishments but it tends to work once the bully-er (sic) understands what he’s doing to the bully-ee (sic) it tends to have a good approach – m’mm, effect.
DOUG: Yeah. I did some work with the Alannah and Madeline Foundation a couple of years back. They have a very good programme of pal-ing (sic) people up – the older kids with the younger kids.
PETER: Yes – sorry. We do that as well; the Year 6 children with the preppies so we call it the: Big Buddy Programme.
DOUG: Yep, yep. Well it sounds like you’ve got that well under control?
PETER: M’mm. Thank you.
DOUG: Hopefully?
PETER: Yes. Hopefully - - -
DOUG: Hopefully. Now – m’mm, you’re up against – it’s technically a marginal seat where you are isn’t it?
PETER: It is . It’s a 5.3-swing which we require.
DOUG: (and) You’re up against Robert Clark - - -
PETER: [indistinct] the Shadow Attorney-General.
DOUG: - - - now he doesn’t like us very much.
PETER: He doesn’t like you very much, at all.
DOUG: [laughs]
PETER: I’ve known Robert for a number of years. He’s a likeable sort of chap, he’s not too bad until I come across some of these comments he’s made in parliament and if the Coalition win he’s going to be our Attorney-General.
DOUG: Yes. That’s very disturbing.
PETER: Yes and I’m not sure if you’re aware of some of the quotes he’s made in parliament?
DOUG: I have heard some of them, which ones are you referring?
PETER: Referring to homosexuality’s like a disease - - -
DOUG: Oh, yeah. Where he said it was something like Spina bifida – whatever. (and) We just had to learn to live with it.
PETER: That’s the one.
DOUG: Something along those lines.
PETER: That’s right but he also says, statistically speaking homosexuals are more likely to be involved in sexual abuse and paedophilia.
DOUG: I think he’s been reading too many emails from the Christian lobby.
PETER: I think he has been.
DOUG: [laughs]
PETER: Absolutely. (and) I think it’s scary that if the Coalition win on – on the weekend he’ll be our Attorney-General and with those sort of views on gay and lesbian people - - -
DOUG: Not very comforting, is it?
PETER: - - - no. The most important thing is to get your rights looked after. Within homosexual relationships.
DOUG: Well, what would a Brumby government do?
PETER: We need to make sure that all your rights and responsibilities are looked after. The same as heterosexual couples, you know? With wills, probates – with, m’mm – superannuation. All those types of things that we take for granted in a heterosexual relationship. To make sure you guys have the same sorts of rights and responsibilities.
DOUG: Yeah. There’s one thing that sticks in peoples’ craw a little and that has been the religious exemption(s) to the anti-discrimination laws. A lot of people in our community still feel that hasn’t been properly addressed.
PETER: M’mm, m’mm.
DOUG: There’re still too many loopholes there - - -
PETER: Yes.
DOUG: - - - how do you feel about that?
PETER: Yeah – with progression, with certain social issues we believe we need to take steps at-a-time. Let’s make those first steps; once we get those first steps the people who are against these types of things will see that the sky is not going to fall-in. Then once that happens we can take [the] next steps and I think we’re starting to take those first, few steps. Once those happen I think, a lot of that discrimination will just fall away.
DOUG: You think it’s not a good idea to tackle these things, head-on?
PETER: I think we take [it] a stage at-a-time. A step at a time. That’s how I always look at things.
DOUG: Yeah. You think you might create too much of a backlash? If you went-in harder on all these issues.
PETER: Possibility. With some of the more conservative lobbies you would. But once the general communities see that – you know, you’ve changed certain laws. (and) Hey – look, the sky hasn’t fallen-in.
DOUG: M’mm.
PETER: You can take that next step. The sky’s not going to fall in again? Okay. Let’s take the next – m’mm and you bring people along with you. Instead of imposing all these things you want to bring people along and you get a much better outcome.
DOUG: It gets very frustrating, from my end-of-things [laughs]
PETER: Absolutely. I would understand that. I’m the same with climate change; you need to take that first step and unfortunately in this country we’re unable to take that first step, even. To get some things in.
DOUG: Well John Brumby has said that he’s taking some steps in that direction. I suppose we’re a bit limited at State level?
PETER: Oh, absolutely. At a State level we’re one of the most progressive States with – with climate change legislation, we’re going to have – we’ve got 20 per cent target [indistinct] renewable energy by 2020. We’ve massive solar farms being built. Up in (sic) Mildura and other areas. We have 5 per cent – well, in a few year’s time. With solar energy.
DOUG: Talking about solar energy and other Green issues how are the Greens travelling in your electorate? I haven’t heard much about them, your way.
PETER: M’mm, Tim Baxter’s the Green candidate. I’ve met him a few times, he’s a nice-enough-chap. He’s at university studying law and - - -
DOUG: ‘Cause in a lot of instances Labor’s running reasonably well. But the Greens are nipping at your heels and that could let the Liberals in, by default. In some respects.
PETER: Hopefully if people vote Green they’ll think about where their second preference goes and hopefully, they may come back to us and that’ll be quite a good thing.
DOUG: There’s been a lot of fuss about things – like, preference deals - - -
PETER: Yeah.
DOUG: - - - and things like that. But people don’t have to follow how-to-vote cards if they don’t want to.
PETER: No.
DOUG: Do they?
PETER: No, they don’t. But – m’mm, yeah. You’ve just got to think about who’s your most preferred member of government. Or who’s your most preferred government. If you’re voting for a minority party – m’mm, who do you prefer the most to govern. (and) It’s generally between the two majors.
DOUG: Yes and I guess, it’s also fair to point out if your local member is going to be a senior member of the government they’re going to have that little bit less time to spend on local issues.
PETER: Exactly.
DOUG: Which should give you a bit of a leg-up?
PETER: [laughs] Thank you very much, that’ll be good - - -
DOUG: [laughs]
PETER: - - - would like that, very much.
DOUG: The best of luck, Peter.
PETER: Thank you for that.
DOUG: (and) We’ll keep an eye on how things go at the weekend.
PETER: Great. Great to talk to you.
DOUG: You, too. ‘Bye-bye.
PETER: ‘Bye-bye.
DOUG: That was Peter Chandler. He’s the Labor candidate in Box Hill up against Robert Clark who as you heard doesn’t really like gays and lesbians, very much and he’d be the Attorney-General if the Liberals got in. So make your own mind-up about that one but – m’mm, you need to know.
