No smiles as Labor ‘blocks’ fluoride bill

Andrew Mathieson
GEELONG’S opposition voice in the Victorian Parliament is demanding an inquiry into plans to fluoridate the region’s water supply.
Upper house Western Victoria MP Peter Kavanagh proposed a bill to allow Geelong residents to have their say in a referendum on the controversial issue.
Upper House MPs passed the Democratic Labor Party bill 21 votes to 19 during the final sitting of parliament last year.
But Mr Kavanagh said State Government has plans to stifle debate in the Lower House after its announcement last year to add fluoride to Geelong’s drinking water.
“My party was founded in defence of democracy and we take democratic principles seriously,” he said.
“This is a case where a part of Victoria doesn’t want fluoridated water and I don’t know why we couldn’t fluoridate according to what people want.”
The Government is also obliged to demonstrate the “risks are insignificant and benefits are considerable” when adding a registered poison to Geelong’s water, he said.
Mr Kavanagh believed Labor has attempted to restrict all non-government business in the Lower House where it has the numbers since the 2006 election.
He said for that reason an inquiry would be preferable to a conscience vote.
“The Government will block it – they have already told me that,” he said.
“They have been quite straight-forward about that and haven’t tried to hide their intentions at all.”
Mr Kavanagh is planning to negotiate with Nationals’ leader Peter Ryan to sponsor the bill for debate in the Lower House.
Member for Lara John Eren said unless there was support from a major political party, the issue couldn’t be debated.
He believed the anti-fluoride campaign did not have support regardless.
“Some of the senior Liberal party members are pro-fluoride themselves,” Mr Eren said.
“It’s clear where the Government is on it – we’re clearly supporting it.”
Mr Eren said there has already been debate on the issue in the Upper House and a referendum was unnecessary.
“When it comes to referendums, kids, who are most effective by this, don’t get a vote,” he said.
“So really, where’s the democracy in that?”