Fed: Labor and Liberal staff in religious brawl
By Peter Jean
CANBERRA, Aug 7 AAP - Federal Labor and Liberal political staffers today engaged ina religious brawl over the Parliament House email network.
The brawl began after a staffer for Defence Minister Robert Hill circulated an emailon a list normally used to make announcements on such things as upcoming computer maintenanceand air-conditioning systems.
"The Anglicans have a homosexual bishop but no women priests. Is this odd or not?"
the staffer wrote.
That prompted a quick response from one National Party staffer.
"Not as peculiar as the Catholics who are ruled by a man who has never had sex yetadvocates the `go forth and procreate or perish myth'", the staffer said.
A Catholic Labor staffer took offence at the comments and threatened to take legal action.
"I consider your comment is inciteful towards hatred of Catholics and our Holy Father,"
the Labor staffer wrote.
"I suggest you look up your laws on religious vilification very quickly for your own sake."
Over the next hour-and-a-half, dozens of staff from many offices joined the debate.
At one stage, an Australian Democrats staffer made a futile attempt at reconciliation.
"At the end of the day, what matters is we are true to ourselves, humane and sincereand open in the search for truth," she wrote.
"This is the basis of all religions and if practised would put an end to religiouswars, terrorism, etc."
Emails quoting the bible flew back and forth over a 90-minute period until senior Laborand coalition staff ordered their subordinates to get back to work.
A spokeswoman for Senator Hill's office said the incident was unfortunate.
"It was a private view and the use of the parliamentary email list was probably inadvisable,"
she said.
A spokesman for House of Representatives Speaker Neil Andrew said it was unlikely anyaction wold be taken against anyone involved in the incident.
AAP pj/jg/was/br
KEYWORD: EMAIL
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