A former union head has doubled down on comments he made at an Australian Catholic University (ACU) graduation ceremony which compared abortion to the “human toll of World War II” and alleged same-sex marriage went against “every society on Earth”.
The speech, delivered by a former national president of the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association (SDA), Joe de Bruyn, prompted a mass walkout at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on Monday.
De Bruyn, who was being bestowed an honorary doctorate, told education and arts, law and commerce graduates that abortion was the “single biggest killer” of human life that “must be ended”.
“I have for several decades been involved in opposing abortion, the deliberate killing of unborn human beings,” he said.
“Today, over 80,000 unborn children are killed by abortion in Australia each year worldwide – the estimated number is 42 million each year.
“Abortion is the single biggest killer of human beings in the world, greater than the human toll of World War II. It is a tragedy that must be ended.”
Footage of the event showed many attendees walking out during De Bruyn’s speech, which was attended by staff, students and family members.
De Bruyn told Guardian Australia he was approached by the ACU in November offering him the honorary doctorate and inviting him to give the graduation address, which he accepted, providing his speech a week in advance.
“They knew what I was going to say, as to their attitude you’d have to ask them,” he said. “I don’t want to offend anybody but you can’t say ‘I’m sensitive’ and therefore you are not allowed to talk about some issue – it shuts down public debate.”
He said the topics he spanned were “perfectly logical” given he was being honoured by a Catholic university on his services to the Catholic church, describing abortion as a “catastrophic issue” that needed to be discussed.
His speech also touched on LGBTQ+ rights. Last year, the ACU faced controversy for ordering librarians to remove the public display of rainbow flags across campuses.
De Bruyn told graduates marriage between man and a woman was “instituted by God at the origin of humanity in the Garden of Eden” and “every society on Earth at all times” had recognised marriage as being between opposite sexes.
I received theACU university medal in Feb, for my thesis in that directly references the proposed Pregnancy Counselling Services Bill 2005. In Oct, Joe De Bruyn, after receiving his ACU honorary doctorate, likens abortion to the loss of life in WWII. The irony is not lost on me.
— Madeline Pentland (@madpentland) October 21, 2024
The head of the ACU’s National Tertiary Education Union branch, Yaegan Doran, said the speech brought “shame on the union movement” and the university.
“Abortion rights are fundamental to women’s rights,” he said. “Queer rights are not up for negotiation. Management’s choice to give him an honorary doctorate brings shame on the university.”
One attendee, Laura, who did not want to use her surname, was at the graduation ceremony to celebrate her sister and walked out alongside other guests.
She described the speech as “hateful” and “vitriolic”.
“What should have been a day of pride for my sister, who is now a qualified primary school teacher, has been soured by this choice made by the ACU senate,” she said.
“It’s absolutely shameful and disgusting.”
De Bruyn was a former member of the Labor party national executive during his time as a union leader. The SDA was a major obstacle to the ALP legalising same-sex marriage before 2017.
He was appointed an officer of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s birthday honours list in 2022.
A former crisis and risk communication lecturer at ACU, Tracie Winch, wrote on X that graduates who attended the event should be issued a refund and an apology.
“Withdraw the honorary doctorate. Is this what you stand for?” she wrote. “University senate should be sacked.”
In a statement, an ACU spokesman said it offered the honorary degree to De Bruyn “in recognition of his dedication to the rights of workers, educational advancement and improving social welfare”.
“Mr De Bruyn’s remarks at the ceremony were delivered in a personal capacity. While his views may not be shared by many of our staff and students, as a university we encourage the respectful exchange of ideas that represent the wide spectrum of our diverse community.”
