Filibustering MP sends surrogacy laws to parliamentary committee

Planned changes to allow single men or gay couples to use surrogacy laws have been pushed off to a committee of Parliament following more than 20 hours of filibustering by anti-surrogacy Liberal MP Nick Goiran.

Mr Goiran used his position as the Liberals’ lead speaker on the issue in the Upper House to occupy the entire debate this week.

But he changed tactic late today by moving a motion to successfully have the surrogacy legislation moved to a committee for further examination.

He argued the Government had only recently released a report relevant to the debate and that MPs needed more time and enough MPs voted supported his motion.

His decision to speak non-stop about the legislation infuriated Premier Mark McGowan.

“The fundamentalist churches that control the Liberal Party are obviously in the ascendancy,” he said. “It’s an expensive misuse of the Parliament and all he’s doing is denying the opportunity for others to speak. It’s undemocratic, it’s wrong and the Liberal Party needs to pull him into line.”

But Liberal leader Mike Nahan backed Mr Goiran’s approach.

“We won’t be lectured by the Premier,” Dr Nahan said. “He needs to pull his own ministers into line. Fundamentalist Christians are not in ascendency in the Liberal Party.”