6pm UPDATE:
Prahran’s Liberal MP Clem Newton-Brown has made a statement about this story – it is shown in full below our original report.

The Sunday Age reported that the current Member for Frankston and recently elected Ted Baillieu government MP, Geoff Shaw (pictured left) was emailed by one of his constituents, health sciences student Jakob Quilligan (pictured right).

19-year-old Quilligan, the co-founder of OUTthere and the Rural Victorian Youth Council for Sexual Diversity, objected to the Baillieu government’s recent tabled changes to the anti-discrimination act that will allow religious groups the right to discriminate on the grounds of religion, sexuality, marital status and gender. The right to discriminate would even apply in non religious settings such as their schools, hospitals and commercial enterprises. For example, people may be lawfully denied essential treatment, services or employment from an organization that has a religious foundation, if they are not ‘in line’ with or share the religious values of that organisation.

‘’I’m 20 in a week. I’m able to vote. I want to work, live and love freely during the course of my life, and I want to do that without thinking that I can’t,’’ he wrote in his email to Mr Shaw.

Geoff Shaw is reported to have replied to him on the same day, questioning Quilligan’s imposition of his values, given that most charity organisations, private schools and hospitals were either Christian or Catholic run.

‘’Are you wanting to put your values on these establishments just as you argue that you don’t want there [sic] values?’’ Shaw wrote.

Then there were Shaw’s statements aligning homosexuality to the desire to commit crimes.

‘’What if I loved driving 150kms per hour in residential areas?...What if there was a convicted sex offender who stated that, or a child molester? Can they still do what they want? Under your statement the answer is yes. What if one wanted to get drunk, take drugs, steal and murder? What if one loved this? Can they also do what they want without thinking that they can’t?’’

Community responds to Shaw’s comments

Jakob Quilligan told the Age that Shaw’s reply left him feeling dirty and astounded that such a reply could come from an elected MP.

He also expressed concern that as a result of the government’s tabled laws that he could most likely be denied employment as a nurse, paramedic or health professional at an organisation that had a religious foundations.

Geoff Shaw’s statements have received widespread condemnation.

Sue Hackney, Coordinator of same-sex-attracted support group Way Out, called language like Shaw’s ‘oppressive’ for young people.

Dr Helen Szoke from the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission called Shaw’s words and statements like it “wrong and potentially dangerous” in the light of the reports showing the fragile state of same sex attracted youth. She pointed out that homosexuality was legal in Victoria, but the things Shaw compared them to are not. She also reminded that same sex attracted youth were up to six times more likely to commit suicide than heterosexual youth.

Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby co-convenor Sarah Rogan is the latest to add to the condemnation of Shaw’s remark comparing same-sex attraction to child molestation, calling it “utterly disgraceful”.

“We are stunned that in 2011, anyone can mention same-sex attraction and molestation in the same breath – and create distress for another human being. Such beliefs can only be described as utterly disgraceful. There is a high probability Mr Shaw’s remarks come from fundamentalist ideology – the same ideology that has led to the attempted broadening of religious exemptions,” Rogan said in her official statement.

“So many groups have expressed concerns over the backward step that gives excessive power to unrepresentative fundamentalists that is clearly time to reduce blanket religious exemptions in Victorian law – and also ensure they are never a part of proposed Federal laws either.”

A spokeswoman for Ted Baillieu refused to comment in the Age report about the appropriateness of Mr Shaw’s remarks, but did acknowledge that the Coalition government was concerned about the mental and physical health of same sex attracted youth, re-iterating its 4 million dollar pledge for preventative support and intervention services to assist same sex attracted and gender questioning youth in Victoria.

Shaw, an ambitions politician who isn’t content to just sit in the backbenches, is active his local Pentecostal church, and acknowledged ‘’the original owner of the land on which we stand – God, the Creator, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of the Bible’’, in his first address to Parliament. Interestingly, his connection to religion or its influence is not mentioned in his Liberal Party website bio.

What you can do about it

VGLRL co-convenour Sarah Rogan is calling on individuals, MPs from all parties, and representatives from all religions including Christian denominations to condemn Mr Shaw’s remarks and join the growing chorus against religious exemptions.

Visit the Equal Rights Victoria website to learn about what action you can take. It takes just minutes to sign the petition to end the exemption of religious groups to discriminate. Write a letter to your local MP expressing your position. Templates are provided to make it easier. You are also invited to submit an additional letter to the offices of attourney general Robert Clark and Premier Ted Baillieu. And join the facebook group for the VGLRL and be kept up to date on actions happening all year round.

Prahran’s Liberal MP Clem Newton-Brown has made the following statement about today’s story:

“Following the Sunday Age publishing this story in relation to Geoff Shaw I spoke with him yesterday afternoon.

I was informed that the impressions that were portrayed in the weekend media do not reflect the views of Mr Shaw. Nor do they reflect the views of the Coalition Government.

The full email exchange can be viewed here.

Geoff Shaw has sincerely apologised to Mr Quilligan for the offence he caused.

The Government that I represent shares the same concerns as Mr Quilligan regarding higher rates of depression, anxiety, self harm and suicide attempts amongst young, same-sex attracted people.

Our Government has provided $4 million over four years in the Budget to deliver support and services for same sex attracted people aged 10 to 25 years.”