The Australian Labor Party is scrambling to contain the fallout after a video surfaced showing the father of a federal MP making homophobic remarks at a polling station during the recent election.
Labor MP Jerome Laxale, who represents Bennelong in Sydney’s Lower North Shore, has issued an apology after his father, Alain Laxale, was caught on camera targeting a Liberal Party volunteer with offensive comments.
In the video, Alain Laxale is heard taunting the volunteer, saying:
“How’s your boyfriend?” To which the man replied: “I’m not gay, buddy.” Laxale then followed up with: “How’s your bum? How’s your bum? Sore today?” “Excuse me?” the volunteer responded.
‘Deeply Offensive’ Comments
The remarks have been widely condemned as homophobic and inappropriate. In a statement to The Sydney Morning Herald, Jerome Laxale distanced himself from his father’s behaviour:
“I love my Dad but the things he said were deeply offensive and completely unacceptable. He should not have said them. I’ve spoken to him and he regrets them and apologises unreservedly.”
Questions Over Laxale’s Own LGBTQIA+ Voting Record
Despite his public disavowal of his father’s comments, scrutiny has returned to Jerome Laxale’s own voting record, which shows consistent opposition to proposals aimed at strengthening legal protections for LGBTQIA+ Australians.
According to They Vote For You, a nonprofit platform tracking parliamentary voting behaviour, Laxale voted against key amendments to the Anti-Discrimination and Human Rights Legislation Amendment (Respect at Work) Bill 2022.
These amendments, introduced by independents Zali Steggall and Allegra Spender, aimed to enshrine “substantive equality for everyone, irrespective of gender or sexual orientation” and to expand protections on grounds such as gender identity, sexual orientation, and intersex status. Both amendments were ultimately defeated.
Resistance to LGBTQIA+ Commissioner
In another key vote in August 2022, Laxale opposed a motion urging the government to appoint a dedicated Human Rights Commissioner for LGBTIQA+ people within the Australian Human Rights Commission.
This contrasts with a 2016 ALP commitment, when Labor leaders Penny Wong and Mark Dreyfus pledged to appoint a full-time LGBTI Discrimination Commissioner if elected to government.
Despite regaining power in May 2022, the Albanese government has yet to fulfil that promise, prompting criticism from LGBTQIA+ advocates such as Rodney Croome.
