Equality Australia: Last News

Attorney general Mark Dreyfus on Wednesday said that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese-led Labor government would bring in a new religious discrimination bill before the Parliament. “It’s something that we will do… we are bringing the religious discrimination legislation before the parliament,” the Attorney General told Patricia Karvelas on RN Breakfast, in response to a question about whether Labor will legislate a religious discrimination law that also protects gay and trans students. Labor leader Anthony Albanese and Senator Penny Wong at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade in March 2022. Image: SuppliedLGBTQI advocates have cautioned the Labor government against repeating the mistakes of the Scott Morrison government, which tried to unsuccessfully pass an anti-LGBTQI Religious discrimination bill earlier this year. The attorney general’s statement is not a new revelation.

Pushed to explain his stance ahead of the elections, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has said he will support a ban on “harmful” gay conversion practices in the state. Days after he claimed that the legislation was a “matter for the cabinet”, Premier Perrottet said that if re-elected, his government would provide “in-principle” support to a ban on practices that seek to change or suppress a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Independent Sydney MP Alex GreenwichOut gay Independent Sydney MP Alex Greenwich had last week announced that a law to outlaw gay conversion practices would be part of his omnibus Equality Bill. NSW Labor leader Chris Minns declared the party’s support for the legislation.Greenwich had said that his support for a future minority government would depend on them supporting the law in Parliament. “I’m grateful for the Premier’s support to end LGBT conversion practices in NSW.

The Australian Bureau Of Statistics has said that it will evaluate how information on sex was collected for the 2021 Census and make recommendations to the government before the 2026 Census. This follows an admission that its analysis of data revealed that the addition of the non-binary option for the sex question in the 2021 Census had failed to yield any meaningful data. National LGBTQI advocacy group Equality Australia said that the analysis released by the ABS “proves that changes are needed in order for LGBTIQ+ people to be properly counted in the Census.”The ABS has guidelines about how to ask questions for collecting information about sex, gender, variations of sex characteristics and sexual orientation. The Standard recommends four separate questions – sex recorded at birth, gender, variations of sex characteristics and sexual orientation. Despite calls from LGBTQI advocacy groups to include questions on sexual orientation and gender identity, the then Scott Morrison government determined that these questions would not be included in the 2021 Census. Scott Morrison“The topics in the Census are determined by Government and the Parliament.

Tasmania was the last jurisdiction in Australia to decriminalise male same-sex relationships and on Sunday May 1, the LGBTQI community celebrated 25th anniversary of that historic event. Before the law was changed on May 1, 1997, any sexual relationship between men was illegal and punishable with 21 years in gaol. Tasmania was also the only state in Australia to outlaw crossdressing – the law was repealed in 2000. Governor Barbara Baker AC hosted a reception for LGBTQI activists at Government House on Sunday to mark the anniversary.

One in three LGBTQI Australian voter said that they are undecided about who they will vote for or are considering changing their vote at the forthcoming federal elections scheduled to be held on May 21, 2022. The results of one of the largest national online surveys of LGBTQI voters conducted by advocacy group Equality Australia was released on Monday, just as major political parties started their six-week campaign before the federal elections. One in five LGBTQI voter, who had voted Liberal, National, Labor or Greens at the 2019 elections, said they were reconsidering their vote this time.   A post shared by Equality Australia (@equalityaustralia)Equality Australia estimates that there are around 850,000 LGBTQI voters who are eligible to vote at the elections in May. Around 7,902 people, including 5,578 LGBQI people currently living in Australia, responded to the LGBTIQ+ Federal Election survey conducted in February and March 2022. The elections are being held months after a failed bid by Prime Minister Scott Morrison to get an anti-LGBTQI Religious Discrimination Bill passed in Parliament.

One in three LGBTQI Australian voter said that they are undecided about who they will vote for or are considering changing their vote at the forthcoming federal elections scheduled to be held on May 21, 2022. The results of one of the largest national online surveys of LGBTQI voters conducted by advocacy group Equality Australia was released on Monday, just as major political parties started their six-week campaign before the federal elections. One in five LGBTQI voter, who had voted Liberal, National, Labor or Greens at the 2019 elections, said they were reconsidering their vote this time.   A post shared by Equality Australia (@equalityaustralia)Equality Australia estimates that there are around 850,000 LGBTQI voters who are eligible to vote at the elections in May. Around 7,902 people, including 5,578 LGBQI people currently living in Australia, responded to the LGBTIQ+ Federal Election survey conducted in February and March 2022. The elections are being held months after a failed bid by Prime Minister Scott Morrison to get an anti-LGBTQI Religious Discrimination Bill passed in Parliament.