THE Liberal Party is demanding an apology from Labor backbencher Brenton Best, who accused Bass Liberal MHA Michael Ferguson of inciting gay bashings.
Braddon MHA Brenton Best told Parliament yesterday a member of the opposition had been a leader of a group that organised rallies on the North-West Coast where protesters carried signs such as "Fags are mutants".
Mr Best made the allegations during a speech on tolerance prompted by the alleged attack on gay man Daniel Stanley in the North-West earlier this week.
"I believe that Daniel Stanley may well have been assaulted as a result of the sort of hatred that has been championed by the likes of that member who visited the North-West Coast to undertake that rally not so long ago," he said.
Mr Best did not name the member at the centre of his claims.
However, he called for that MP to distance himself from "that sort of fundamentalist anti- homosexuality type of organisation such as the Family Institute, which he was the leader of, or he needs to apologise to the people of the North-West Coast".
Mr Ferguson later hit back and angrily denied the claims, saying he had never attended an anti-gay rally.
Mr Ferguson is a former director of the Tasmanian Family Institute, an organisation that campaigns in favour of traditional family values. A Liberal spokesman said last night that Mr Ferguson finished in that role in 2004.
But Mr Best refused to retract his statements and referred to a submission Mr Ferguson co-wrote in 2003 arguing against same-sex couples being allowed to adopt.
"I would hope that those members would reflect upon the sort of hatred they have been inciting on the Coast for some time now," he said.
Liberal leader Will Hodgman described Mr Best's statements as "a disgraceful display of gutter politics".
"The outrageous claims were made without a shred of evidence to back them up, and were a despicable attempt to score cheap, nasty political points," he said.
Mr Hodgman called on Premier Lara Giddings to condemn Mr Best's behaviour and make him apologise.
Ms Giddings said she would investigate the activities of the Family Institute.
"What is important here is that we all take out of this debate what is the most important element of this, that we want to see a tolerant community in Tasmania, and we certainly want to see a tolerant community on the North-West Coast," she said.
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