Greg Weir oral history

Greg talks about his family and early life, his early influences, schooling, his becoming aware of his gay sexuality and his involvement with the church and the peace movement on the Sunshine Coast. Includes interview log.

Greg talks about his student activities at Kelvin Grove. Issues included censorship and sex education. He also talks about starting the gay group at Kelvin Grove College of Advanced Education in early 1976 and the aftermath. Includes interview log.

Greg talks about being denied employment because of his gay political activities on Kelvin Grove campus. He describes the start of the nationwide campaign against the Queensland education department decision, his association with AUS and the 1976 National Homosexual Conference.

Greg describes his tour of AUS affiliated campuses around Australia and his involvement in the emerging civil liberties campaign and right to march movement. Greg helps start the Unemployed Workers Union and describes his growing links with the union movement.

Greg talks about AUS council and the ongoing 'Greg Weir campaign' and his role in fostering new gay campus groups. He talks about meeting Senator Georges and the senators role in the events leading to the federal intervention into the state ALP. He talks about his involvement and Senator Georges' involvement in the right to march campaign. Greg talks about the first Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras rally and arrests.

Greg describes the rise of the conservatives Abbot and Costello at the 1978 AUS council that ultimately led to the unions demise in 1982. He describes the last throws of the Greg Weir campaign.

Greg also discusses the deteriorating situation in Queensland for teachers with the National party government setting up selection panels for teachers to monitor suitability, to make sure teachers were able to inculcate into students respect for the laws and values of Queensland.

Greg talks about AUS in crisis. He gets the job as Senator Georges' staffer and describes the first peace rally and his growing involvement in the ALP left.

Greg talks about the success of the peace rallies and how the links with the churches forged in this work laid the foundations for the churches support in the 1990 gay law reform campaigns. The work load of this and his ongoing AUS / Greg Weir campaigns takes a toll on his health.

Greg talks about the lead up to the 1984 National Homosexual Conference in Brisbane and the controversy about paedophilia. Greg describes the campaign get unions to adopt gay supportive policies.

Greg describes the later discredited fundamentalist ALP leader Keith Wright. Greg made a complaint to new ALP party secretary Peter Beattie about Wrights anti-gay stance attacking recognition of defacto gay relationships by the ABC in August 1984.

Greg talks about the impact of the appearance of AIDS. Greg got involved in the National AIDS education campaign with the newly formed Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO). Greg also discusses the Sturgess Inquiry and his work with Senator Georges in the SEQEB dispute.

Greg talks about Senator Georges crossing the floor and becoming independent. He discusses the tide turning against the National Party government, the deposing of Joh Bjelke-Petersen, the rise of Mike Ahern and the beginning of the Fitzgerald Inquiry.

Greg talks about his AIDS paper clipping service that he did while reviewing the papers and hansard for Senator Georges. These clipping became part of his archive that is held by the National Library.

Greg describes the founding and development of the Queensland Association for Gay Law reform (QAGLR). Greg discusses the rise of Wayne Goss and the lead up to the election of Labor government. He describes the Criminal Justice Commission (CJC) and the role of Peter Beattie as the head of the parliamentary Criminal Justice Committee.

Greg describes the gay law reform campaign plan that developed once Beattie announced that there would be law reform by the end of 1990.

Greg describes the various stages and aspects of the law reform campaign and some of the people involved. He describes a letter writing campaign, the community round table meetings, and how the press was managed. He talks about the Criminal Justice Committee hearings, and lobbying around the potentially damaging preamble to the legislation.

Greg talks about the first PRIDE march, and tensions between the PRIDE and QAGLR collectives. He discusses the importance of lobbying the churches in the build up to the Criminal Justice Parliamentary Committee hearings. He talks Fred Nile's rally the Saturday before the hearings and how this was countered by a press conference on Sunday that he organised with progressive speakers from the churches. He discussed the hearings and lobbying of ALP parliamentarians while the committee considered the submissions.

Greg continues discussing gay law reform.

Greg discusses about campaigning to include homosexuality in the anti-discrimination legislation.