Minns says Howe has spread 'enormous amounts of misinformation' on abortion bill

NSW Premier Chris Minns speaks to the media on the abortion debate and Joanna Howe's stance. Video via AAP

Transcript

00:00There's enormous amounts of misinformation and lies that have been spread by her on social media

00:05and it's whipped up a lot of good people in the community believing that the reform changes,

00:10the legislative changes, are far more extensive than they in fact were.

00:14And I had a lot of constituents in my community coming and saying,

00:18for example, the vision that has remained for nurse practitioners to be able to distribute meditation

00:23in line with TGA guidelines.

00:25The rumour that was circulating, and I'm not saying it's necessarily spread by this act

00:30that was certainly going around the community, was that they would be compelled to do it

00:35and if they didn't do it, then their licence would be yanked.

00:38The conscientious objection did not apply.

00:41And that's clearly incorrect.

00:42And I think that there are genuine differences,

00:45particularly when you have a matter as sensitive as abortion.

00:48It's not helped by putting enormous amounts of misinformation into the debate.

00:53So as for threatening politicians about what you will or won't do,

00:57well, that's a matter for activists,

00:59but generally speaking, Australian politicians,

01:02regardless of their background or ideology,

01:04react incredibly poorly to that kind of threat.

01:07And my experience, particularly in functions votes,

01:10and this doesn't just apply to the Labour Party,

01:12is that people come to these issues and make a genuine dispute

01:15about what's in the message of their community

01:17and make the call and they'll usually resist that kind of bullying.